Higher education IT partner Novatech wins coveted sustainability in tech award after huge drive to reduce carbon emissions 

Portsmouth-based specialist IT solutions provider, Novatech, has won a top sustainability accolade at the inaugural Sustainability in Tech Awards, run by the renowned tech publisher CRN.  

Novatech won the award for Net Zero Project of the Year after the business transformed the energy efficiency of its  Head Quarters so that it was not only carbon neutral but net positive – meaning it now gives energy back to the national grid on top of what it creates to run its operation. 

Novatech, an approved provider under the Servers, Storage and Solutions National Agreement (SSSNA) managed by the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) which includes Oxford and Cambridge Universities, as well as several other Russell Group Universities including in London, as part of the UK Universities Purchasing Consortia. 

Improvements to Novatech’s 30,000sq ft headquarters in Portsmouth included:  

• Improved the insulation in the building, fundamentally by replacing the entire roof and re-enforcing it. 
• Installed a 400KWh solar panel system, consisting of 825 panels, maximising the roof space of the building, which went live in August 2022. 

• Invested in air source heat pumps and an electrical thermal unit to remove gas entirely from the building, enabling it to become an A+ energy rated building.  
• Invested in employee training so they understand what impact they can have in reducing the company’s energy consumption. 

David Furby, CEO of Novatech, who founded the business 35 years ago, said:

“This accolade is a wonderful recognition of our hard work and genuine commitment to sustainability. 

“The IT industry has had a bad name when it comes to its eco credentials, but as a business we are working hard to turn that image on its head.” 

John Cooper, Novatech’s Operations Manager, shared the impact of being involved in the company’s journey to a net-positive headquarters:

“Learning about the technologies involved, seeing them in action, and the impact they have had on our business has made me consider what I can do myself at home. 

“Being present at the first switch on of the solar energy system and seeing all that hard work becoming a reality, to know that we achieved exactly what we set out to do, is certainly a gratifying experience.” 

As well as this particular project, which cost the business around £500,000, Novatech also offers a service to its clients by offering a service to reduce e-waste through recycling, remanufacture and donation of their usable IT assets to charities and schools.