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The renewable energy firm's building was designed by architects Halliday Fraser Munro and built by Stewart Milne Construction. The engineering team was Active鈥檚 own, chartered engineers Cameron Chisholm Dawson Partnership (CCDP).

The building features ground and air-source heat pumps, solar panels and a road energy system, which soaks up heat from tarmac surfaces.

Ian Nicol, Active Renewable Energy Centre

A wind turbine is still to be installed on the site and the firm hopes to become completely self sufficient by the end of the year. The building will generate its own electricity, selling any excess on to the National Grid.

Ian Nicol, Active鈥檚 managing director, said: 鈥淔rom the ground up this building has been designed to be extremely efficient. Its exact position on the site has been chosen to minimise heat gain on the south face while maximising the potential of the solar panels on the roof. Internally it makes the most of natural light and ventilation by optimising north facing roof lights.鈥�

The company claims that even when the wind turbine is excluded from calculations, the building will consume around 64, 935kW/hrs energy per year, with a fuel cost of 拢5,195. The average for a commercial building of this type is said to be around 190,000kW/hrs and a fuel cost almost threefold at 拢15,741 year year.

Ian McAllister Partner at CCDP said: 鈥淭his was a very exciting project for us to be involved in. With rising fuel costs and the need to meet government targets for reducing carbon emissions, it鈥檚 important that new buildings are designed with energy efficiency in mind.鈥�

Active invested over 拢3m into the mixed use site, which house鈥檚 the firm鈥檚 70 staff.

Active provides sustainable energy systems for both commercial and residential construction projects and specialises in micro-renewables and efficient air-conditioning and ventilation solutions.