A north Cumbrian family business is combatting rising energy prices with the installation of solar panels.
Twoey, based in Wigton, design, manufacture and supply furniture and learning resources to the education sector.
The business was founded in 1994 by Michael Miller in his garage in Caldbeck, who started out making furniture for his granddaughters. A couple of years later, Michael’s furniture was picked up by London Toy Fair.
This recognition gave Twoey a firm foothold in the industry, leading to the growth of the company.
Michael moved out of his garage into a factory in Wigton. It built its own factory in 2006 and then extended in 2013, with the addition of a sewing department after Twoey acquired another business.
In recent years, rising energy costs have posed a significant challenge for Twoey, with monthly electricity bills of between £3,000 and £4,000.
Twoey’s processes rely on energy intensive equipment, including CNC machines, beam saws and a laser machine, so the business needed to find a way of bringing costs down.
For business director Jess Cleaves, the answer lied in solar panels, using the factory’s large roof space to generate power.
For help funding the project, Jess contacted Cumbria Business Growth Hub and applied for a capital grant funded by the Rural England Prosperity Fund, provided through Cumberland Council.
After submitting the application – with help from Growth Hub business adviser Adrian Luckham – Jess secured funding covering 50% of her costs. She then hired local company, Purdham and Waugh, based in Carlisle, who completed the installation on 8th January 2025.
Now fully up and running, the solar panels have had a transformative impact on Twoey. Monthly energy bills are now forecasted to be under £1,000 and the factory’s weekend downtime allows
Twoey to sell surplus electricity back to the grid. These savings mean that the investment will pay for itself within two to three years.
Having significantly reduced its overheads, Twoey is able to invest in product development, offering new product ranges to its clients. Jess expects that this investment will lead to further growth and job openings in the near future.
Head of business support at Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Lesley Robinson, said: “It’s fantastic to see businesses like Twoey using grant funding to become more sustainable and cut costs to drive growth.
“Grant schemes like this have been transformational for businesses across Cumbria. We’re hopeful of follow-on funding opportunities later in the year, so I’d encourage any business thinking about investing in improvements to get in touch.”
