The Thurrock Low Carbon Business Programme has assisted HW Wilson with a grant to the tune of £972 for a new boiler; the Wharf Group (KS Timber) with £1,632 for a diesel particulate filter fitted to one of their lorries; and £1257.06 for the Your Style Salon, for new heaters and double glazing.

HW Wilson, of North Road, South Ockendon, decided to upgrade its boiler so the business would waste less money on its heating costs and cut its impact on the environment.

The firm is expected to reduce its energy use by 16,836kWh and trim its carbon output by 3.09 tonnes annually – saving around £643 on their gas bills.

The Wharf Group is a family-run business from Stanford-le-Hope, and one part of it, KS Timber, was struggling to cope with the regulations in London’s Low Emission Zone and incurring fines or having to drive around it.

The installation of a diesel particulate filter to the truck’s exhaust reduced emissions, making it green enough to enter the zone. The firm is expecting to reduce its carbon output by 18.77 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and the combined cost saving is estimated at £6,855.51 a year.

Your Style Salon, based in Corringham and under new management, came to Low Carbon Business seeking a grant towards new heating units and double glazing.

The total cost of the project was £3,142.66, 40 per cent of which came from the grant and the business is now expecting to reduce its electricity usage by 5,075kWh as well as reduce its carbon footprint by 2.66 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. It should also be able to make an annual cost saving of £507.50.

At a gala evening at the Civic Hall in Grays, the company was recognised not only for its ability and standards as a building company but for the “warmth, professionalism and integrity of its service from beginning to end.”

A spokesperson for the company said: “We were proud to receive the award on behalf of all our staff.

“It is one thing for a company to have the idea and an ethos of good customer service, but it is down to the dedication and commitment of all our employees that we have proved that a building contractor can put those ideas in to practice and deliver a great level of service.

“Thank you to all our employees, and to the awards judges for recognising our efforts.”

The ECO Stars (Efficient and Cleaner Operations) Fleet Recognition Scheme – launched on Wednesday (6 February) – is a free, voluntary programme funded as part of the designed to provide recognition and guidance on operational best practice to operators of goods vehicles, buses and coaches whose fleets spend a significant proportion of time operating in the borough.

It is funded from the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund as part of the Travel Thurrock programme which is continuing to introduce a range of measures aimed at improving and promoting sustainable travel.

ECO Stars is one of the activities of the Thurrock Freight Quality Partnership (FQP) and each member signing-up will receive tailor-made support to ensure their fleet is running as efficiently and economically as possible.

It will help Thurrock’s HGV, LGV, bus and coach fleet operators gain recognition for their commitment to improving efficiency, reducing fuel consumption and reducing emissions – all helping to improve local air quality.

Cllr Andy Smith, Thurrock Council’s portfolio holder for transport, said: “Thurrock already has a major transport industry, something that is growing quickly and an integral part of the borough’s regeneration.

“The Thurrock Freight Quality Partnership will provide operational efficiency measures – particularly in relation to operating cleaner vehicles and managing fuel use – and can lead to financial savings and improved environmental performance.”

He added: “The scheme will provide recognition as well as support, for the operators implementing operational efficiency measures, and signing-up can help raise the profile of a company’s commitment to operational and environmental performance.

“However, more to the point, in these days when money is tight in all areas, reducing fuel consumption means reducing operating costs and environmental impact, through reduced vehicle emissions. It is estimated – using Department of Transport figures, that an operator could save as much as £2,300 a year per vehicle.

“This leads to financial and environmental savings – something for us all to boast about to customers, competitors and local communities.”

The scheme’s Effective Fuel Management Programme, comprises of individual component measures such as monitoring and targeting fleet fuel use, driver training and use of supporting equipment and systems, lie at the heart of operational efficiency.

We wanted to speak to Phil about the challenges facing a company in 2013.

H.W.Wilson Limited is a forward thinking, multidisciplinary construction company that carries out work throughout Essex, Hertfordshire, London and the South East.

H.W.Wilson provides a variety of services from refurbishment and responsive repairs, to a full ‘turn key’ package of design and build in conjunction with their industry partners.

The company are very much embedded in the community. Whether that means seeing their vans around town, working on projects such as Belhus library or also being present at careers fairs.

“We hope that Thurrock’s construction industry isn’t going the same way as the national norm?”

PETER Hansford has been in position for a little over a month now as the Government’s chief construction advisor. I wonder how he is feeling having seen the reports coming from ‘The Streetwise subbie’ and the industry in general?

Barry Ashmore of the Streetwise subbie says “Whilst the aspirational talk of cost saving, innovation, BIM, and low carbon construction is all well and good, is it what the industry desperately needs right now?

The view from the industry’s front-line is that ideas from the centre such as BIM will not succeed without some specific changes to how the industry is currently operating.

Research has revealed how a deep rooted institutional blame culture, spurious claims, corporate greed, and endemic late or non-payment is ruining construction.

The industry has never been in a worse state, and one of the UK economy’s biggest drivers is being dismantled piece by piece as a result of appalling practices and cultural apathy.”

It seems as though large companies and contractors alike are expecting as a matter of routine to; underpay, withhold money or expect retrospective discounts when accounts become due.

Worryingly these people think this is an acceptable way to do business.

Never in the field of construction was so much owed by so few to so many.

And it’s only going to get worse as the industry is reaching breaking point, according to the bleak conclusions drawn by the two extensive surveys of the ‘Streetwise Subbie.com’ http://www.streetwisesubbie.com

The surveys recognise that there are a handful of large main contractors who are good to work for, but the majority are destroying the industry infrastructure by underpaying subbies and paying them late, if at all! One of the surveys responders mirrors our own thoughts;

Construction is at its lowest ebb. There are far too many companies, sub-contrators, and main contractors alike, taking on jobs for Zero or Negative profit”

This is allowing the end users and general customers alike to assume that this is the correct value of the industry, when in truth it is a desperation call that is leading many established companies to rack and ruin.

We hope that the SMEs and specialist sub-contractors who are passionate about our industry that they have committed their working lives to, realise the power they have to drive the need for change from within. After all it is us and those alike who actually deliver the work on site!