Today marks Earth Day 2026!
We wish you a very Happy Earth Day! April 22nd marks this annual awareness day dedicated to highlighting the actions – large and small – that we can all take to help reduce the negative effects of climate change and environmental damage. So, in celebration this issue of The Leaf - our sustainability newsletter - contains a bumper crop of company updates on our latest climate-positive actions and news.
Managing Cost of Living – The Greener Way
It’s great to see spring in full swing – blossoms, wildflowers, the heating is on less… Spring’s typically a hopeful time, but world events leave many uncertain of its effects on cost of living, at a time when prices across nearly all day-to-day goods and services have already risen in recent years/
Read on to discover our reminders – plus a few fresh energy-saving tips – on how to prepare for higher energy costs, easy steps to get ahead of the curve today.
1. Heat rooms by use – not by just habit
It’s easy to assume you need to heat the whole house in the evening to maintain comfort, but if no one’s using the spare room or the study, smart multi-room heating ensures those rooms don’t call for heat and rack up your bill.
2. Optimise flow temperature
Many homes still run heating systems hotter than needed – lowering it improves efficiency, particularly with heat pumps and condensing boilers. It reduces energy use and wear on equipment, resulting in significant long-term savings.
3. Make the most of what your energy supplier offers
Many energy suppliers offer cheaper energy pricing depending on demand, and some (like Octopus for example) even run events where – during periods of high energy demand – you can sign up to use less energy and gain rewards.
4. Maximise on ‘micro-efficiency’ actions – not expensive retrofits
These include all the niggly little actions that might not sound that impactful, but add up to big savings over time, like keeping doors between heated and unheated rooms closed, bleeding your radiators, eliminating draughts and using smart plugs to take devices off standby the easy way.
5. Review your heating data to optimise like a pro
A five-minute monthly check-in can be all it takes to spot where rooms may be being heated more than necessary and tweak your schedules where needed. Features like Wiser’s Insights and Heat Report make this simple and easy to understand.
Get more energy saving hints and tips to make the most of your smart heating system in the Wiser Blog
Drayton Signs BEAMA 2050 Connected Climate Commitment
Ambition into action – we’re proud to announce we’ve joined the BEAMA 2050 Connected Climate Commitment, pledging our collaboration, building of skills, and driving impact across the housing industry.
Developed by BEAMA under its BEAMA 2050 Connected platforms, and endorsed by City Electrical Factors and SSEN Transmission, the commitment provides us with a shared framework for signing up to science-based targets, governance integration, circular economy principles and value chain collaboration.
Sustainability Awards and Recognitions
Highly Commended at the Energy Saving Awards 2025: Wiser 2nd Generation
We were delighted that the Wiser 2nd Generation smart home system was highly commended at last year’s Energy Saving Awards, recognised for its energy-saving features like remote access via the app, Smart Modes and optimal boiler modulation – along with the benefits of 2nd generation smart home device compatibility with our range of power modules and sensors that enrich your smart home experience and take automation to a whole new level.
Finalist at the ECN Awards 2025: Wiser 2nd Generation
Our 2nd generation Wiser system also earned a spot among the finalists in last year’s ECN Awards for Smart Buildings/Sustainability Product of the Year 2025, recognising Wiser’s role in supporting low-carbon heating strategies and smarter building specifications across the UK for both new builds and retrofit applications.
Schneider Recognised as Glassdoor Best Place to Work
We’re delighted to share that Schneider Electric has been recognised for the second year running as one of 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 in the Manufacturing & Engineering category - and as part of Schneider Electric, everyone here at Drayton is celebrating this fantastic achievement.
This recognition is based entirely on employee feedback, and it highlights Schneider Electric’s continued commitment to a positive, inclusive and fair workplace culture, wellbeing support and an environment that empowers staff to give back through paid volunteering and charity initiatives.
This aligns perfectly with our holistic approach to sustainability, driven by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Guided by the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, we ensure that we contribute to Goal 8 - providing employees with decent work and driving economic growth in our local area and the UK.
Drayton in the community
Plymouth Argyle Partnership
This year we became an official partner of Plymouth Argyle Football Club. We're proud to be supporting a fellow Plymouth-born business that strives for excellence, fosters local talent and enriches the local community.
As part of the collaboration, we’ve been meeting with supporters at recent fixtures with our demo and training van to provide heating know-how and help create a winning combination of fans, freebies and football!
Heaps of STEM Inspiration and Experience for Local Schools
Mill Ford School, Plymouth
Late last year we welcomed back students from the inspiring Plymouth-based Mill Ford School, dedicated to meeting the needs of children and young people with complex needs. Students enjoyed a factory tour, our always-entertaining Ozobot coding and navigation game, and learned electrical circuit fundamentals in an LED greetings card activity, both led by our experienced STEM Ambassador team.
“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧.”
– 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳
British Science Week – Fletewood School, Plymouth
As part of British Science Week 6-15th March 2026, we hosted a group of students from Fletewood School based here in Plymouth, who enjoyed a tour of the factory and engaged in STEM activities.
A huge thank you once again to our team of registered STEM Ambassadors for continuing to coordinate valuable learning opportunities for young people in our local communities from varied backgrounds as they consider their future options.
Women in Industry Day 2026
Our annual event to encourage more women in industry saw students from Tor Bridge High and Mount Kelly experience a factory tour and our practical STEM games and activities from coding to marketing a product, designed to spark curiosity and confidence for young women thinking about their future goals and careers.
Drayton is committed to supporting Goal 5 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals by creating more access to STEM experience for women and girls, through school outreach, apprenticeship programs, fair representation and equality-driven working practices.
STEM for all
We believe strongly in inclusion and ensuring people of all abilities and backgrounds get the opportunity to explore STEM; we’re proud to be able to offer that within our local community to drive skills in STEM that power greener innovations.
We were delighted by all the students’ enthusiasm, curiosity and focus. We wish every one of them the very best as they navigate their exciting futures.
We're pleased to support Goal 4 of the UN Sustainability Goals by continuing this school outreach program alongside staff in our registered STEM Ambassador team.
The Drayton Biodiversity Garden in Bloom
Our wonderful garden space - transformed from a disused industrial area into a peaceful green space 3 years ago - is showing all the signs of spring, from blossoms in the apple trees to buttercups in the raised beds.
Plants are flourishing and our s[aces for wildlife show signs of use by various species, from the bug hotel to the pond and log pile.
We will continue to nurture this young garden to support life on land, Goal 15 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Read more about our sustainability journey to net zero in Drayton News.
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