Novel green energy idea in the post

The latest idea to use green technology is first class, said Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox.

He was commenting on Royal Mail introducing 3,500 solar-powered postboxes across the UK in its biggest redesign for nearly two centuries.

The iconic red pillar boxes, which have dominated the UK’s streets for 175 years, will now have solar panels on the top to power a digitally-activated drawer, allowing customers to deposit items as large as a shoebox. There will also be a separate slot for letters.

This is the latest move by Royal Mail, which was bought by a Czech billionaire last December, to fight back in the face of competition from other delivery companies after its monopoly ended in 2006.

Following a successful pilot that introduced the new boxes in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, they will now be rolled out to other cities, starting with Edinburgh, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester as the company expands its parcel service.

“It is amazing how green energy is being used in so many innovative ways to help companies compete in the 21st century,” said Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science and Innovation Park.

The new design is topped with a grid of dark solar panels on a white rectangle, which will be oriented due south for optimal sunlight, the firm said.

The company said customers can use the service with the Royal Mail app, and can request proof of posting, plus tracking of their parcel.

Two designs were used in the pilot, including one where the entire round lid of the postbox was black, but Royal Mail decided red was more in keeping with their brand.

The rise in popularity of online shopping means click-and-collect services have skyrocketed, with venues from local newsagents to petrol stations offering parcel send-and-deliver services. There has also been a proliferation of self-operated lockers in convenient locations.

The story of the postbox began in 1840 when a Uniform Penny Post with the Penny Black stamp was introduced after an idea by Rowland Hill revolutionised the way the postal system could be opened up to almost every person in Britain.

Before then, senders would either have to take the letter in person to a Receiving House (effectively an early Post Office) or would have to await The Bellman who wore a uniform and walked the streets collecting letters from the public, ringing a bell to attract attention.

The novelist Anthony Trollope was working in the 1850s as a Surveyor’s Clerk for the Post Office, and seeing postboxes in Europe, proposed the introduction of such boxes to Britain. A trial on the Channel Islands with four cast-iron pillar boxes was approved and began on Jersey on November 23, 1852 and extended to mainland Britain in 1853.

As writing and sending letters became more popular there were many complaints from the public that the green-painted boxes were too difficult to find. So, the Royal Mail decided to change them to red in 1874, with the repainting project taking ten years to complete.

For those wanting more advice about new ways to use green energy and cut bills, call Ron on 0845 474 6641 or contact us here.

Caption: A greener way to deliver parcels. Picture supplied by Royal Mail