Calor Gas, serving Great Britain and the Irish markets, has partnered with Greengear Global Srl (Brescia, Italy), a Cavagna Group company that produces propane-fueled products including lawnmowers, generators, pressure washers, and water pumps, to offer those products in the British and Irish markets. Greengear Global, established in 2014, focuses on its primary goals of providing a healthier, greener way of life.
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Established in 1935, Calor has experienced a meteoric rise from its humble beginnings providing LPG for rural homes. Calor, believed to be the U.K.’s leading supplier of propane, is part of SHV Energy, a global family of propane companies offering business-to-business and consumer products and technologies.

Calor markets Greengear through its network of 50 Calor-owned shops in Great Britain; the products are also available to purchase on its online store. Why Greengear? One of Calor’s main motivators was to identify and invest in applications that can be used year-round rather than just seasonally. For example, the generator market is a year-round business for mobile catering and emergency power. The food truck industry has been identified as the biggest market for Greengear products. All catering vans are using gas anyway, so it’s a “no-brainer” to switch the fuel source to propane from a gasoline or diesel generator. Significant benefits experienced by this market include less smell, less noise, no spillage, more convenience and versatility, and cost savings on the fuel.

The fuel supplier has also reported success in selling Greengear products in Ireland. Calor Ireland has 30 showrooms at its dealerships nationwide, each with at least one product on display. Damien Shirkie, business development leader for Calor, noted, “Calor is proud to introduce Greengear machines to the Irish market. These innovative machines harness the most up-to-date technology to deliver superior value for money, while also delivering real emissions savings. Greengear offers a win-win for consumers: cost savings and environmental benefit.”
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Calor Ireland planned to attend the National Ploughing Championships in September. It is Europe’s largest outdoor exhibition and agricultural trade show, with Greengear being the main focal point.

Various U.K. companies have reported success using Greengear products. Emperor Lake Fisheries is one customer that uses Greengear air pumps. Owner/manager David Lidstone noted that with the Greengear generators, “I can basically plug in small air pumps, plug and forget, safe in the knowledge that I’m not going to have any problems.” He added that the pumps have alleviated his previous concerns about diesel fuel spillage. Since switching to LPG, his fuel spillage worries have disappeared. “And if there is a failure, the safety mechanisms within the system itself will just shut down.”

Also in the U.K., Come Dine With Me mobile catering snack vans switched to new Greengear LPG generators fueled by Calor gas to provide electric power for the vans, replacing previous diesel and petrol models, which the company described as dirty, smelly, and noisy. Owner Dean Gray Sr. explained that getting the gas bottles delivered was much easier than going out and getting the vans filled with diesel or petrol.

Another company that has benefitted from the use of a Greengear generator is Tiny House Coffee in the U.K. The business is a handcrafted “tiny house” used for portable catering in Europe. The Tiny House Coffee building measures 4 meters in length and 2.4 meters wide.

Owner Joe Marjoram has always been sustainability-minded. The timber used to build Tiny House comes from a local sustainable forest in Thirsk, England. The timber is chemical-free and has been dried naturally over the course of five to six years before being put to use.

In keeping with his environmentally friendly practices, Marjoram chose to use LPG as an energy source for Tiny House Coffee because of its portability and safe use. After seeing a Greengear advertisement in a trade publication, he purchased his first Greengear LPG generator from Calor Gas. He uses two 13-kg Calor LPG cylinders, although one cylinder alone has lasted him up to two full days of serving coffee non-stop.

He says that because of the dependable power of the LPG generator, his business is also able to sell cold beverages, ice cream, cakes, and biscuits—so LPG has helped improve his revenue possibilities. He added that other caterers have contacted him for information on using LPG generators in their businesses.

Calor GB is pleased with its partnership with Greengear and Cavagna. Teresa Wafer, product manager for Calor GB, noted, “We have worked really well together making sure that we bring to market products that are well-suited to the U.K. and bring opportunities that will help to obtain new customers that Calor may not have reached before and better serve our existing customers.”