CASE STUDIES

SOM Blinds design, manufacture and install custom made internal and external window furnishings, operating from a showroom and factory in Burwood.

Through the Solar Victoria Solar for Business program they were able to install a 10kW system for $14,685, saving them $2400 per year on electricity, a five year payback before government rebates (nearly $7500).  

After the solar was installed, SOM Blinds noticed they were only receiving a very small tariff for the excess solar being fed into the grid.  

SOM then installed an affordable automation system to track solar production and share power between devices in the building to maximise the use of the solar electricity generated. They now use all three phases of their power supply more efficiently and are load managing all of their devices to work in harmony with their solar production.  They also installed movement sensors that will switch heating off if no one is working in the vicinity, and lighting is programmed to come on and off with the alarm system so lighting never gets left on overnight.  

SOM are not just reducing carbon emissions and saving money on electricity, they are being sustainable in many ways. They: 

• Recycle scrap metal (blind tube and bottom rail offcuts), blind motors, paper and cardboard packaging, bubble wrap, soft plastic, polystyrene packaging and curtain fabric offcuts. 
• Wrap all of their blinds in paper for transporting to site and have been doing this since they started manufacturing in 2002, saving thousands of blinds worth of plastic packaging (which is the industry norm). 
• Have a water tank that collects their roof water and is used to water veggie boxes they have installed behind their factory.