Embracing the next Stage
21 September 2021
Many hire businesses have been hesitant to adopt green technology particularly because of the cost. However, one company that is facing up to the challenge and embracing it is the specialist generator hirer, John F Hunt Power.
“Some Stage V low-emission machines may be twice the price of Stage IIIa ones but we, and our customers, have no choice but to adopt them,” says managing director David Hunt.
“If a contractor needs to work in a low-emission zone area like London the equipment simply has to comply, so we are investing accordingly. Besides, suppliers now have hardly any Stage IIIa machines left to sell.
“We already have Stage V models in the fleet from Bruno (distributed in the UK by BGG (UK)) in node sizes from 40kVA to 500kVA, with more on order.
“We’ll obviously keep supplying the Stage IIIa generators we have, where appropriate, until it reaches the end of its working life. But certainly within the M25, customers are telling us they have to comply with the Zone requirements. And other towns and cities are going to follow.”
David believes that the take-up of Stage V will accelerate throughout the remainder of 2021 and that users have to adopt the technology in the same way as battery powered equipment, electric cars and other new fuel sources.
“If there are some companies that can’t afford or don’t have the appetite to change, that’s up to them.
“Yes, it’s more expensive and our costs will go up but it’s not for us to subsidise the market. If the equipment costs twice as much, we can’t supply it at old Stage IIIa rates. How can we?
“There’s also likely to be a greater servicing requirement with technicians visiting to check AdBlue levels and monitoring performance, so again our costs will go up and the customer will have to pay a higher rate.”
However, David points out that cost is obviously not the main driver behind the authorities’ roll-out of emissions regulations.
“It’s about the environment. A Stage V generator produces one-twentieth of the emissions of a Stage IIIa equivalent. Obviously as battery technology improves it will become a larger part of the solution, but it is still in the early stages of development for bigger equipment.”
John F. Hunt is also exploring the use of eco-friendly fuels. By the end of 2021 more than half of the fuel its supplies will be Green D+ HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) made by Green Biofuels Ltd.
David believes that hirers and end users have to accept the reality of new sustainability regulations.
“I think a lot of companies are trying to look the other way or burying their heads in the sand, but we are doing the opposite and leading with our chin. If you’re going to do this, you have to do it properly. With our spend profile, our investment appetite and our strong customer base, we believe we are in a good place.”
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