A COMPANY with a "green heart" claims it has created one of Britain's most eco-friendly buildings in Southend.

The multi-million-pound Olympus KeyMed site is at the cutting edge of green technology. It has innovative solar panels, toilets flushed by rainwater and a novel heating system.

The new 14,000-sq m medical equipment plant on the Temple Farm Industrial Estate, is the fruit of KeyMed's commitment to a green agenda.

Andrew Vaughan, KeyMed environmental affairs manager, says he finds it inspiring to work for a company which takes his energy-saving advice seriously.

One of the features he recommended was ground source heat pumps, which store up heat from soil on hot days and use it to warm the building.

Mr Vaughan said: "The building is pretty much like your fridge at home.

"We all know from basic physics there's no such thing as cold - just a lack of heat. The fridge shifts heat from inside the fridge. Ground source heat pumps do the same, in reverse."

A network of pipes helps maintain the temperature throughout the facility.

Mr Vaughan added: "The whole point is efficiency.

"If you have a reasonably average boiler, the efficiency is 80 to 85 per cent. So if you have 1,000 watts put into, it you get 850 watts out.

"With a ground source heat pump, efficiency is 480 per cent. For every 1,000 watts you put in, you get 4,800 watts out."

The building uses ground-breaking technology but it shuns the modern trend for large windows, which can waste heat.

Instead, it has extra-thick walls to retain the warmth and blinds to keep the building cool in summer.

The roof has advanced solar panels which heat water for the building and can even make the most of infra-red rays on overcast days.

A 27,000-litre water butt stores rainwater from the roof. This is then used to flush the toilets, run the building's water feature and irrigate plants.

These measures have cost money to set up - they added about three per cent to overall costs - but Mr Vaughan says they make financial sense, too.

Companies across the land will soon be forced to dramatically reduce emissions.

Mr Vaughan explained: "We expect the new building will be there 40, 50, or 60 years from now. By that time, we will have to be very careful about carbon emissions.

"Our building will start to really show its merit, as it has a very low CO2 impact."