Building materials company Bowens invests $1.2 million in solar and sustainability future

Victorians know Bowens, a fourth-generation family-owned building materials and hardware business with sites throughout Melbourne and across the state.

And Victorians also know, like the rest of Australia, that the country is experiencing a surge of new home builds and renovations, up 33% since 2019 (according to Bowens). However, as the construction industry makes up 18.1% of Australia’s carbon footprint, Bowens has committed itself to reduce its carbon footprint through $1.2 million investment in solar and power factor correction units (PFCs)

This investment saw 1,386 Trina solar modules installed by Beon Energy Solutions at Bowens manufacturing subsidiary Timbertruss in Corio, Geelong, which should see Bowens energy reliance reduced by up to a third on current annual use.

Beon Energy Solutions’ business development manager Jeremy Mugavin said the project was well worth celebrating and said Bowens was a “Great example of a progressive business investing in suitable power alternatives to reduce their carbon footprint.” The massive commercial installation project cost almost $1 million, but due to the increasing demand for sustainable building materials, Bowens’ customers will only be too happy for the assurance that what they’re buying is powered in part by solar.

Bowens chief investment officer, Andy Bowen, said “The world around us has seen a heightened focus on the environmental impacts of corporations and governments both big and small. It is our duty as an industry leader to play a positive role in this movement and do what we can – from recycling waste to reducing our power consumption.”

“Sustainability and energy efficiency is at the forefront of senior management’s long term strategic decision making,” continued Bowen. “The business is investing millions of dollars in upgrading our stores and facilities, making sure that we minimise our carbon footprint at every turn.”

Of course, timber is a much more sustainable building material than concrete, because concrete hasn’t yet shown a tendency to grow, but nevertheless Bowen insists business leaders need to play their part.

“Our ongoing commitment to helping Australians build better includes addressing long term challenges that face our industry by investing responsibly in sustainable practices,” concluded Bowen. “We will continue to prioritise sustainable business decisions as we deliver the highest quality building materials for all Australian builders.”

Meanwhile the PFCs were installed by Energy Aware across 16 stores and should contribute to further electricity consumption savings by maintaining reactive power levels.