Award Winning Freeman Street Market, Grimsby reduces carbon emissions by over 40%* per year since 2010
In 2009 The Enrolled Freemen of Grimsby started the plan which has led to arguably the most energy efficient Market in England, saving over 70 tonnes* of CO2 annually which is appropriate in Great Grimsby, the Renewable Capital of England in the Energy Estuary of the Humber.
The 1 acre market located in the East Marsh area of the town has been an important commercial and social hub since it opened in 1873. It has now been completely updated and fitted with solar panels, LED lighting and an air to water heat exchanger system to heat our Courtyard area and the shops within it reducing our energy bills by up to 40%.** Also on site is an efficient waste recycling system to deal with unwanted packaging from the retail units and a rainwater harvesting system to make best use of the Grimsby weather.
In addition to this we have recently completed a 10,000 sq ft high tech office Hub. All offices are finished to a high standard and have ultra-fast broadband, fresh air circulation systems provided by the installation of Monodraft and access to an abundance of natural light. This has all given the Market building a “B” energy rating which is remarkable for a building of this type and age and won a national Green Energy Award for regeneration in 2014.
Stephen White the Chairman of The Enrolled Freemen of Grimsby, the successors to those that bought the town of Grimsby from King John in 1201 and have run a Grimsby market continuously since 1283, said
”As a local charity, when developing our investment strategy, we took a good look at our community responsibilities whilst upgrading our Market building which needed attention for the 21st century.”
“At times the complete Market building with all its refrigeration and cold stores now operates totally on solar power – even in February! With the addition of energy “time shifting” using battery storage we look forward to extending these periods much further.”
“We have reduced our costs substantially as well as reducing our carbon footprint and ensured that the Market is as economically and environmentally future proofed as possible and I’m very proud of the way our team and stallholders have worked together to ensure we got there.”
“We are now into our sixth year with solar energy and by getting in early to the Feed in Tariff system, have ensured a return of over 4 times our investment in 20 years – ignoring the value of the “free” electricity, which will increase substantially as energy prices go up – which they are bound to do; this way our traders and customers will enjoy a vibrant market still able to compete in a challenging economic environment.”
“The shop floor of the market has been redeveloped with wide aisles, new flooring and lighting to create a clean, bright, spacious and welcoming environment with cafes and seating areas for customers to relax and enjoy what the market has to offer.”
“The improvements in the infrastructure of the market have been matched by the increasingly high standards reached by our tenants with our food stalls achieving five out of five stars in Environmental Health inspections.”
The famous Peabung Fish and Chips restaurant is as old as the market itself and is renowned throughout the UK and beyond and the stylish new Vine cafe is proving popular addition to the market.
The Tudor styled Courtyard area, home to the Courtyard Café, houses a variety of shops including vintage clothes, an antique shop and a recording studio which provides impromptu “gigs”. The heated Courtyard makes an ideal place to spend time and relax in pleasant surroundings. As with the entire building, free wifi is available to businesses and customers alike.
Freeman Street Market has built up a name over generations for supplying the freshest Lincolnshire local produce around and this is still true today. Also this market is so much more, our development has taken the market to new levels which has recently been acknowledged nationally by the Market Trade News magazine https://www.markettradenews.com/freeman-street-market-grimsby/
We are now a major stakeholder and well placed to influence our partners, Shoreline Housing and North East Lincolnshire Council, in plans for further development to help breathe new life into the area.
Nearby social housing, reaching the end of its economic life, is being replaced by new activities to attract educational and business workshops close to the offshore wind servicing hub in Grimsby docks.
The whole area is to be linked in with the Market building as part of a hard wired low carbon Local Energy Hub to share generation, storage, distribution and smart monitoring and controls using state of the art technologies as they come on stream.
This will control energy costs, improve the local environment to provide a better future for both residents and visitors alike.
- See our website on www.FreemanStreetMarket.co.uk a gleaming star in the Enrolled Freemen of Grimsby’s locker
Note *12 months 160,000 kwh Solar (774 panels) generated @ .445 CO2 per kwh = 71 tonnes CO2 saved ** 374,000 kw total electricity used in 12 months, 160,000 kwh Solar = 42%