Opinion
Q&A
Two minutes
with . . .
STEVE HICKSON
Hydratech
Who are you?
Jodi Huggett, business development director at 4Eco
What do you do?
We manufacture and sell the immerSUN power control device for PV
and wind. The immerSUN can be installed into homes or businesses,
and to divert excess power from microgeneration systems directly
to immersion, space or storage heaters instead of exporting back to
the National Grid.
Where are you?
We’re based in the Lincolnshire Wolds
How’s business at the moment?
Our next generation immerSUN, released six months ago, is selling
fast. Customers have been delighted with how much money they’re
saving on their energy bills.
How could business be better?
It’s an interesting time for renewables right now, however, some
of the chancellor’s recent statements seem like a u-turn from the
‘greenest government ever’. I think that the public are taking it
upon themselves to invest in green technology now, meaning
there’s a tangible renewables zeitgeist.
Who do you admire in renewables?
Steve Howard, IKEA’s head of sustainability. He pushed for the
company to become the first big business to really challenge itself
environmentally. I saw him speak at a conference recently and he
really inspired me.
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?
The customer is undoubtedly the most important part of your
business; so it’s important to never lose sight of what the customer
wants.
How are you going green?
All of our packaging is sustainable. We’re expanding our
headquarters too, installing LED lighting and a wood-burning stove.
We’re also installing solar PV panels, which we’ll use alongside our
immerSUN, of course!
14 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk
What have you got planned for the rest of 2014?
To continue developing the excellent relationships
Hydratech has built with companies operating,
installing and maintaining renewable energy
systems. We are the only UK based formulator
specialising in the manufacture of inhibited heat
transfer fluids and will continue to invest heavily in
R&D to expand our innovative product range. Most
recently, Biotherm was launched to provide long
lasting protection for biomass heating systems and
we look forward to seeing the market warm up as
individuals take advantage of the domestic RHI.
What do you see as the growth area for renewables?
The general interest in renewable technologies has
been raised since the launch of the domestic RHI.
Biomass offers huge opportunities providing the
correct infrastructure is in place and there are enough
trained and registered installers to meet demand. As
Hydratech manufacture and supply specialist fluids
for solar thermal, ground and air source heat pumps
as well as the previously mentioned Biotherm for
biomass, we are hoping to benefit from an increase
in the commercial application of heat pumps and the
opportunities for renewables in off-gas areas.
How is your company cutting its carbon footprint?
From sourcing of materials to wate disposal, we have
started to monitor all aspects of our operation. We are
currently investigating energy efficient lighting and
PV while working to achieve ISO 14001.
Steve Hickson is managing director at
Hydratech