500 homes receive free heat pumps from Kensa
Hundreds of homes across the UK are to become the first recipients of Kensa’s fully funded
GSHP offer.
Kensa claim the ‘Free the heat’ offer is the first of its kind in the UK and will deliver energy
savings in excess of £200,000 per annum for the most fuel poor.
The offer is financed through RHI funding streams and ECO with housing providers
retaining full ownership of the heat pumps.
With funding strictly limited to 500 homes, Kensa is urging housing providers to get in
touch via its dedicated website: www.kensaheatpumps.com/free-the-heat to register their
interest.
Simon Lomax, managing director of the Kensa Group, said: “This free offer is expected to
halve many tenants’ heating costs and will appeal to landlords too as GSHPs are remarkably
reliable and durable.
“As an industry leader we are delighted to be the first to bring this ground breaking offer
to market.”
Team Kensa: L-R Simon Lomax (MD), Lord Taylor
(chairman) and Chris Davis (commercial director)
Worcester’s new distribution centre opens its doors
Big deal: Worcester, Bosch Group’s new distribution centre
can despatch over 10,000 items a day, increasing the
company’s capacity to serve its customers
Worcester, Bosch Group has officially opened its new £9m Bosch Distribution Centre,
located on Wainwright Road, Warndon, Worcester.
The company’s finished boilers, heat pumps, cylinders and accessories have been
moved from its previous warehouses to the new 6.7 acre site, which can hold more than
10,000 pallets at capacity.
When fully operational it will allow the despatch of 10,000 items per day. Internal
sales and logistics planning departments have also made the move to the new building.
Carl Arntzen, managing director of Worcester, Bosch Group, said: “This new
building supplements the huge investment we have undertaken at our head office
and factory on Cotswold Way, and we will ensure our business continues to produce
and distribute the quality and innovative products for which Worcester is known, as
effectively as possible.
“The move has involved a great deal of logistical planning to combine the two
previous locations but we are already seeing the benefits. Not only has it made it
easier in terms of storage and distribution space but the extra office facilities also give
flexibility for future growth, as we continue to strengthen our position in the market.”
Blazing a trail for biomass apprentices
Members of the biomass industry have joined
together to develop a skills standard under
the government’s Apprenticeship Trailblazers
programme.
The group of employers will pool their
expertise with the aim of ensuring young
people develop world-class skills to take into
industry.
The Biomass Installation Engineer
programme will be led by Neil Harrison,
founder and director of Northumberland-based
firm re:heat. Neil is also vice chairman of the
Wood Heat Association.
“The biomass industry is experiencing
high growth across the country and we expect
demand for this apprenticeship programme to
start at 200 in the first year, growing by at least
a further 100 annually until we have around 750
participants by 2020,” said Neil.
“It is vitally important we ensure the
quality of biomass boiler installations if the
sector’s potential is to be fully realised. The
instances of poorly and sometimes dangerously
installed systems are on the rise and this poses
a reputational risk which could permanently
damage the sector if left unchecked.”
Neil and his 10 colleagues from across
the sector will work with officials from the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
to develop the apprenticeship programme,
standards and assessment approaches.
The other members of the employers
group involved in the delivery of the Biomass
Installation Engineer Apprenticeship Trailblazer
are: Teesdale Renewables, Oakes Energy,
Dunster Biomass Heating, Purple Energy,
Trailblazer: Neil Harrison, founder of re:heat, is
leading the new Biomass Installation Engineer
programme
Biomass Boiler Services, Prescient Power,
High Park Industries, Ashwell Biomass,
Nottinghamshire Eco Fuels and Employer First.
www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk | 5