C&D Foods more than halves carbon emissions with LPG switch

A premium dry pet food manufacturer has saved in excess of £50,000 and more than halved its CO2 emissions since converting its boiler fuel from oil to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Calor.

C&D Foods’ site in Larkshall, Norfolk, produces approximately 20,000 tonnes of dry pet food every year, requiring a significant amount of fuel to power its manufacturing processes. Situated off the mains gas grid, the company has partnered with Calor for the last 20 years, using LPG to fuel a collection of large on-site industrial dryers that reduce the moisture content of the dry pet food once it has been extruded.

Having established a strong relationship as C&D Foods’ fuel partner of choice, Calor then approached the business in the summer of 2014 with a plan to dramatically improve its existing oil boiler efficiency and lower its carbon output.

Ian Harridge, General Manager at C&D Foods, explains: “Calor removed the existing large oil tanks and installed six 4,000 litre LPG tanks, as well as a vaporiser that can give us extra power when needed. Calor then supplied and installed a packaged gas burner to allow us to modify the boiler from its original oil burner.”

The ability to install a packaged gas burner meant the entire boiler system did not have to be replaced, which would have incurred substantial costs.

“We chose Calor based on two reasons,” Ian continues. “First, they’re the market leader, with the best coverage for off-mains sites. Second, the proposal that they put forward to assist with the installation of the new equipment was excellent, minimising any downtime or additional costs. Calor worked around times when the plant did not need to run, which included some weekend work. The installation went through with no real interruption to the business.”

LPG’s reduced CO2 impact compared to oil was a critical reason behind the site’s decision to fully embrace gas for its processes, as the site continues to work towards the Carbon Trust Standard. LPG is currently the lowest off-mains carbon emitting fuel available on the market, emitting 20 per cent less CO2 per kWh than oil. Since switching to LPG, C&D Foods has reduced its CO2 emissions by 52 per cent.

The reduced overhead costs and improved operational efficiencies achieved with LPG was also a key driver for C&D Foods, resulting in financial savings of more than £50,000.

Each LPG tank is also fitted with Calor’s intelligent automatic top-up technology, alerting the supplier when a tank is low on fuel. This ensures C&D Foods has a constant supply of fuel, guaranteeing a tank never runs short.

“The service provided by Calor has been second-to-none,” adds Ian. “They managed the whole project for us, from fitting the new foundations for the new equipment to connecting the boiler and commissioning.

“Based on the experiences we’ve had, I would have no hesitation in recommending Calor to other businesses.”