Selco – Smarter energy control across a national estate
Selco, needed a practical way to cut running costs and improve efficiency across more than 76 sites. Our energy control system delivered measurable savings and a simple, centralised management – reducing energy use by up to 51%.
25-50 %
Savings delivered
16
months payback period
Context
One of the UK’s leading trade builders’ merchants, Selco is a trade-only merchant offering UK tradespeople various purchase options for building materials, from online with courier delivery, to ‘click & collect’ and in-branch sales.
With the cost-of-living crisis and a slowdown in new builds, Selco saw a need to improve operational efficiency and reduce overheads.
Each of their 76 sites used energy-intensive heating systems, often running longer than necessary. Without clear oversight or control, it wasn’t easy to monitor performance or ensure consistency across locations.
Selco needed a reliable, scalable solution to bring efficiency and visibility to their estate — one that could adapt to different site layouts and heating setups without disrupting day-to-day operations.
Solution
Our engineers carried out detailed site surveys to understand Selco’s equipment, layouts, and usage patterns.
Most branches used a mix of warm air blowers and radiant tube heaters — systems ideal for our retrofit energy control technology.
We installed intelligent controls that allowed precise management of each site’s heating, complete with built-in energy-saving strategies tailored to occupancy and demand.
The system also enabled centralised visibility — allowing Selco’s team to monitor all sites remotely through a single interface, supported by role-based access and automated alerts for any irregularities.
Impact
After implementation, Selco gained a fully integrated view of energy performance across its estate. With role-based access and alerts for each site, it was clear who was accessing each site and if any issues were present.
Fuel analysis showed clear, measurable savings ranging between 25% and 51% across the sites monitored.
The combination of retrofit flexibility, remote access, and ongoing optimisation gave Selco lasting control over energy use, supporting both cost reduction and sustainability goals.
Selco have been using the ArcSett energy control system now for 2-3 years which has brought in some excellent cost and energy savings. Some stores have seen savings in excess of 50% on their energy consumption which has helped Selco extremely with their business sustainability strategy.
Marcus Benyon,
Head of Merchandising & Development, Selco
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