Brimstone Energy can save your business money

Business costs are rising. Staff costs are up. Rents are higher. Energy prices continue to soar… with more uncertainty coming in 2025.

But what if you could have energy security, lower costs and future-proof your business, while benefitting the environment at the same time?

We think you can. In fact, we know you can because we’re sorting this for businesses right now. Solar panel and battery storage can save you money.

Solar and battery technology has developed massively over the last 15 years. For businesses, especially those powering machinery in manufacturing, you can reduce your costs dramatically. Not only this, but there’s funding and grants available to you, meaning the savings you make are even greater.

Brimstone Energy want to make sure as many businesses as possible benefit. But someone needs to make the first move, so we know it helps to hear from businesses who have gone for it and are saving money today.

We recently completed an installation at Mitsa Limited, a garment embroidery business based in St. Ives in Cambridgeshire. We spoke with Owner, Danny Sharratt, about their story.

Take a read, watch the video, and think about your next cost saving step.

---

Why did you want to install solar panels and battery storage for your business?

Business costs have risen massively over the last couple of years, and it has felt like we’ve been at the mercy of external factors. Our business, like many others, uses lots of electricity – the screen printing, tunnel drying and pressing machinery we use needs lots of power.

After Covid, the changes in the economy, and then the war in Ukraine, our monthly bills went from £150 to £850 a month. You can imagine the alarms bells went off, and we knew we needed to do something differently to see if we could take back control over the long term.

What were your options?

We’re resilient, so we got to work and got thinking. We knew we could either change our processes, look at our energy supply, or do both.

We settled on doing both.

Process wise, we increased our Direct To Film (DTF) printing, which takes less time and means the heaters run for a shorter period. It’s also worth noting, our investment in this technology has increased our flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs.

We also decided to take control of our energy, by properly looking into solar panels and battery storage. You could say, “The story started here.”

Did you have any hesitations?

I bet the questions about solar panels and batteries are similar for lots of businesses. Will they work? Are they financially viable? When will they pay themselves back?

We did what all of us in business do… we started researching.

What research did you do?

I spoke to lots of friends who had solar panels at their home, and they shared their experiences from a domestic perspective.

We looked on the internet, looked at some specifications, and could see our roof had good exposure to the sun. We estimated overall payback would take about 11-12 years, but monthly savings would start straight away.

But it felt like we were scrabbling around a bit for good content. There is still a need for more clear, non-salesy information on solar and batteries.

We were happy when we came across some funding opportunities. I guess it also helped that Matt and Brimstone Energy were customers of ours!

Tell us about the funding you found?

We heard about the Green Impact Fund, which was available across Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. The grant was clearly business focused, so we applied and had to show our commitment to working towards net zero over five years. We put a plan in place, including switching to LED lights and timers, with the solar panels and battery storage being central to it all.

We were accepted to receive a £5000 match funded grant, which opened a lot of options. As it worked out, we became eligible for more funding that didn’t need to be matched. Maybe our reward for taking the step… but it shows there is money for businesses who want to get involved!

How did you find the right system for your business?

We got three quotes, one of which was from Matt and Brimstone Energy. It turns out Matt’s quote was double the price of the other two. You learn in business – when something like this happens it means something, and you need to look into it.

We asked Matt to explain his quote in more detail, which he was able to do. He had factored in our business needs and the high power output from our machines. The other quotes had not. They were geared for domestic use, which showed us the importance of finding the right company with the right know-how. When we asked the others to quote for a suitable system, the prices were very similar.

By now, Matt had already earned our trust (and our business).

Tell us about your solar panel and battery system?

On the roof, we’ve got eight 430W Eurener solar panels giving a total of 3.4kW. We then incorporated Enphase equipment to maximise what we needed downstairs in the business. Each panel is fitted with an Enphase Micro Inverter (IQ8MC), with two Enphase IQ 5P batteries inside. Each one has a 5kWh capacity, with a discharge rate of 3.2kW, for a total of 10kWh storage and 6.4kW output.

On the computer, I can the see impact of the Micro Inverters, which lets each panel work at full capacity, even if another isn’t in the sun. Without these, whole system is affected by one panel being in shade… thanks Matt for your expertise here!

And the money saving for your business?

The Enphase app shows me how our dependency on the grid has dropped. We’re in the middle of winter and still saving, so it’s only going to get better when we hit spring!

Not only that, but we’re still tied into a fixed energy tariff into 2025. Matt’s advised us on other options, so at the moment it looks like we’ll jump to Octopus. Their tariffs are flexible, meaning you can choose to top up the battery from the grid when the rates are cheaper. You can then use the stored energy during peak times – I know I can call Matt closer to the time about this.

How do you feel now it’s done, and your business has solar panels and battery storage?

It felt like a risk. But as soon as we started, we had peace of mind.

Now we’re saving money, and it feels great. I can’t wait to see the impact in the Spring, and I love the smart tech – it’s simple to use and lets us think smart about our energy use.

You’ve said a bit about Brimstone Energy. What was it like partnering with them?

Matt is a customer of ours and he understands local business and our needs.

He found out what would work for us, helping us to get the understanding we needed to rule ourselves in. It seems lots of people rule themselves out, when it’s all there for them. You just need the right team!

Once they got started, they were all done in two days with no impact on our day to day work.

Would you recommend Brimstone Energy.

Yes. 100%.

It’s a no brainer. I called Matt last week and within 30 minutes he’d found a solution where a bigger fuse was needed. Done.

You can’t put a price on this type of support when you’re doing something new.

What’s your advice for businesses thinking about solar panels and battery storage?

It’s all there for you. But the need to think about low cost energy is getting greater and greater. Without our changes in processes and energy production, we would have been costed out of the industry.

Be proactive. The grant didn’t land on my lap, I had to find it and make it happen.

Do your research, ask lots of questions, find the right installer to work with. Of course, it helps if they already use your services!

---

From Matt, Founder of Brimstone Energy UK

We certainly do like our branded Brimstone Energy clothing!

We’re equally pleased about working with your business on your solar panel and battery storage project. It truly was a collaborative process.

Well done for taking the step, and we look forward to seeing your story encourage other businesses to do the same. This should definitely include exploring the local and national green funding available.

Solar panels and batteries are a money saving option for businesses. We’d love to help you, so do get in touch with any questions.

Find out what makes Brimstone Energy UK unique. Read the Brimstone Manifesto:

Learn about the basics of solar power here. Start with What is Peak Power in Solar Panels:

Find out about the Economics of Battery Storage and understand how they can earn you money.

---

See our 5* reviews on Trustpilot

---

From the Brimstone Blog: