KCOM pioneers full fibre technology to reach Net Zero goal
Six months after launching its Net Zero plan, broadband provider KCOM has begun a transformational infrastructure project that will slash its carbon emissions by a quarter.
In February this year the Hull-based company, which serves 170,000 customers across East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, made an ambitious pledge to reach Net Zero by 2040 – ten years ahead of the UK Government’s target.
At the time, KCOM’s Chief Executive Tim Shaw said it was the “right thing to do for our business, our customers, our region and our planet.”
Having already put in place a range of measures to cut its carbon footprint, from fitting solar panels on its offices to installing more energy-efficient cooling systems at its network sites, KCOM has now embarked on a project that will take it much closer to its Net Zero goal.
Its £17m programme to upgrade its copper landline network to a full fibre one will reduce KCOM’s electricity usage by 35 per cent, while also cutting its carbon emissions by a quarter.
Tim said: “Around 35 per cent of our energy consumption is from the electricity we need to run our network and exchanges.
“As well as ensuring landlines will continue to work for the next century, switching phone lines in our customers’ homes and businesses to our fibre network will dramatically reduce our energy usage. The energy saving we’ll make is the equivalent to a 25 per cent reduction of our baseline CO2 emissions.
“A further benefit is that the copper reclaimed from the legacy network can be re-used in the production of other goods as part of the circular economy, extending its life and reducing waste.”
KCOM is engaging with customers and community groups in readiness for the network switchover and has already transferred thousands of customers’ phone lines from copper to fibre across the East Riding. The full switchover is expected to take two years and is set to be the first in the UK to complete.
KCOM’s commitment to achieving Net Zero has affected the way decisions are made in every area of the business.
“We’re trying to identify opportunities to reduce our environmental impact at every point of our operations,” Tim said.
“Rather than treating our Net Zero ambitions as a standalone project, we’re looking at every decision we make through the lens of what it means for our carbon emissions, which is helping to embed sustainability across our business.
“The good news for organisations at the early stage of their Net Zero journey is that many of the things you might want to do to improve the way you operate and become more competitive will also benefit your sustainability plans.
“Once you start looking at the carbon reduction benefits of actions you’re taking to make your business more efficient, you might be pleasantly surprised at how far along the Net Zero path you’ve already come.”
Other measures KCOM has put in place to cut its carbon emissions in recent years include:
· installing solar panels on its Salvesen Way office in Hull, which generate around 18 per cent of the electricity consumed at the site
· introducing more electric vehicles for use by employees making short journeys between the firm’s Hull and East Yorkshire sites and taking part in community initiatives
· switching to energy from 100 per cent renewable sources, backed by Ofgem’s REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin) certificate
· partnering with family business Make It Wild in a carbon offsetting scheme that will offset 1,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) greenhouse gases by planting trees in Yorkshire nature reserves
· working with ‘urban mining’ company N2S to reclaim precious rare earth metals from old IT and exchange equipment for use in new kit as part of a sustainable circular economy. Watch this video to see how it works.
Find out more about KCOM’s Net Zero ambitions and journey: