York Handmade improves energy efficiency at its Alne site

New project aims to capture waste heat from kilns and reuse it in dryers.

British manufacturer York Handmade Brick Company, based in Alne, has been awarded a grant by the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) to improve its energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. The project aims to capture the waste heat from the kilns by means of a heat exchanger and use it in the dryers, thereby reducing energy consumption, carbon emissions and production costs.

“The government’s commitment to net zero by 2050 will require industry emissions to be reduced by nearly 90% from the present values, so it is essential to find alternatives as quickly as possible,” said managing director Guy Armitage. “The threat to our environment is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. It is essential that manufacturers such as ourselves do our bit to help to preserve our precious and fragile world.”

The feasibility study was officially completed on August 2023.