Our Journey to Net Zero: Latest Carbon Footprint Report & Next Steps

Here at okoHaus, we believe that sustainable window and door solutions aren't just about creating energy-efficient homes, but a testament to our responsibility towards our environmental impact. With years of expertise in window and door systems, we have made sustainability a crucial part of our business model.

Our mission revolves around revolutionising the window and door industry by prioritising sustainability at every turn, with dedication to creating a brighter, greener future for our clients, community, and our little blue planet. As part of this commitment, we have recently completed our comprehensive carbon footprint report in partnership with Groundwork East, revealing important insights about our current emissions and our path towards achieving net zero emissions.

Understanding Our Carbon Footprint

Our comprehensive carbon footprint assessment, conducted according to the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, has revealed the key sources of our CO2 emissions. The report breaks down our emissions into two main categories:

1. Our Business Vehicle Fleet

Our vehicle fleet represents our largest emission source at 54% of our total footprint, generating 16.40 tCO2e annually. This includes our company diesel vans as well as our employees’ private diesel and petrol cars. However, we have already begun addressing this challenge by taking on an electric company vehicle, which covers 10,000 miles with significantly lower emissions.

2. Staff commuting

Our staff commutes account for 20% of our emissions (6.00 tCO2e), while business travel contributes 18% (5.42 tCO2e). Our electricity consumption, including grid electricity usage of 6,039 kWh annually, represents 6% of our total emissions at 1.25 tCO2e.

Tracking these emissions is fundamental to our long-term sustainability goals. It enables us to identify priority areas for improvement, set science-based emission reduction targets, and measure our progress towards becoming completely carbon neutral.

Steps We've Taken to Reduce Our Environmental Impact

Energy-Efficient Windows and Doors

Our products directly contribute to reducing carbon emissions in homes across East Anglia and the UK. Our energy-efficient windows offer exceptional thermal performance:

• Rationel triple-glazed windows achieve 0.79W/m²K U-values, compared to our double-glazed windows’ 1.29W/m²K

• Velfac triple-glazed windows deliver 0.82W/m²K performance, while the double-glazed versions give out 1.6W/m²K

These thermally efficient windows significantly reduce heat loss, helping homeowners decrease their reliance on fossil fuels for heating. Our double and triple-glazed windows provide superior insulation compared to single-glazed windows, with substantial energy-saving benefits over the long term.

Sustainable Materials & Responsible Sourcing

Our windows comprise several sustainable materials:

• Wood (20.2% composition): FSC-certified timber ensuring responsible forestry management

• Aluminium (18% composition): 50% recycled content, with two-thirds manufactured using renewable energy

• Glass (62.2% composition): Fully recyclable material which requires seven times less energy to recycle than producing new glass

Our Velfac line is especially superior in this case, as 93% of the materials used can be recycled, and each unit is designed for easy separation at the end of its lifecycle.

Installation Excellence & Performance

Our installation process prioritises long-term performance and sustainability. We use Illbruck TP600 compriband compressible seals providing high-performance, breathable, weather-tight external sealing. Our Illbruck FM330 expanding foam also achieves exceptional thermal performance. For Passive House standard projects, we provide optional internal breather membranes, ensuring optimal building envelope performance.

Transitioning Our Fleet: From Diesel to Electric Vehicles

Why Transport is a Major Factor in Our Carbon Footprint

Addressing transport is crucial for achieving net zero emissions, which is why our current business fleet includes site visits, product delivery, and daily operations.

Site visits alone contribute substantially to our footprint, with recorded travel distances of 11,855 miles in 2022 and 2,276 miles in just three months of 2023. These figures highlight the scale of our transport environmental impact and strengthen our dedication to implementing sustainable alternatives.

The Switch to Electric Vehicles

With electric vehicles increasingly becoming a sustainability staple, we have already begun our transition with one company electric vehicle and a second on order. Our decarbonisation plan also prioritises replacing our two remaining diesel company vehicles with electric van fleet alternatives, which could reduce carbon emissions by up to 15.8 tCO2e annually. This represents a massive 52% reduction in our total footprint.

Electric vehicles for business offer multiple advantages beyond emission reductions:

• Lower running costs: Estimated annual savings of £4,000

• Quieter operation: Reducing noise pollution in residential areas

• Enhanced company reputation: Demonstrating environmental leadership to customers

Implementation Challenges & Solutions

We understand that going electric has a lot of challenges, including charging infrastructure requirements and upfront costs. However, we already have 5 electric vehicle charging points at the office for employees and visitors to use free of charge, which we hope will encourage the switch to electric. There are also various UK government initiatives which support this transition:

• Plug-in vehicle grants provide discounts on new low-emission vehicles

• Workplace Charging Scheme offers up to £350 per socket for charging point installation

• Plug-In Suffolk Scheme provides fully funded EV charger installation with flexible operating models

These initiatives, coupled with the long-term environmental and financial benefits, make the switch to an electric vehicle fleet a practical and economically sound solution.

Looking Ahead: Our Commitment to Net Zero

Our decarbonisation plan also extends beyond vehicle electrification to include comprehensive sustainability improvements. We are implementing solar PV installation (5.6kWp capacity) to generate approximately 4,374kWh annually, meeting 51% of our current energy demand. Battery storage systems will also optimise renewable energy utilisation, storing unused generation for peak demand periods.

But for us, this is only the beginning, because we are actively pursuing B-Corp certification, demonstrating our commitment to using business as a force for good. Our partnership with Suffolk Wildlife Trust also skyrockets our environmental efforts beyond carbon neutrality to active biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration, and community engagement.

We are also committed to progressing sustainable window installation practices through several means, such as recycling old windows and reusing them for environmental projects, carrying out extensive supplier sustainability assessments, promoting eco-friendly home improvements, and developing green home solutions that reduce heat loss and maximise building performance.

Science is also on our side because these emission reduction targets align with the scientific community’s climate goals, pursuing efforts to limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C. Reducing your carbon footprint can only be done through superior product performance, and by reducing our carbon emissions, we are setting an example for other businesses and how they can shift their own operations.

Conclusion

Overall, our journey towards net zero emissions is about more than just environmental responsibility. We aim to be pioneers in the fenestration industry. Through our comprehensive carbon footprint report, we've identified clear pathways to achieve net zero, all while we deliver exceptional energy-efficient windows and sustainable materials.

By choosing okoHaus, customers can do their part in reducing carbon emissions without compromising superior comfort performance. Our commitment to sustainable business practices, renewable energy in manufacturing, and environmental impact reduction guarantees that every installation supports broader climate goals.

So, we would love for you to come with us on our journey towards progress, through the implementation of our decarbonisation plan, electrifying our fleet, and continuing innovation in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. Together, we can build a more sustainable future, one window and door at a time.

Feeling convinced? Get in touch with us today by scheduling a showroom visit, calling us at 01473 550514 or emailing us at hello@okohaus.co.uk.