The company has a fairly small staff base of under five employees, and works with domestic customers.
Barry gets email and LinkedIn updates from Energy Saving Trust’s sustainable energy supply chain programme, which is funded by the Scottish Government, and speaks very highly of the programme and the benefits it has had for his business.
Barry attended a workshop on the Scottish Government’s consultation on permitted development rights for air source heat pumps held by Energy Saving Trust in July 2016. His main reason for attending was to give examples of the issues Renewable Heat Installation and Servicing were facing when trying to sell and plan retrofit heat pumps. Barry was really pleased to have the opportunity for an open discussion on this matter, and says, “Our points were noted and we felt like it made a difference.”
Indeed, Barry believes one of the main benefits of the sustainable energy supply chain programme is that it provides this forum for discussion between people from different areas of the industry. He says, “The programme has been excellent. It gives you a chance to meet the rest of the industry and to put a name and face to people at Energy Saving Trust and the government. I’ve sat at a table with people from planning and people from environmental health and we had a chance to bounce things about, straightaway understanding each other’s problems. It also helps to get a better understanding of some of the complicated processes.”
As well as the opportunity to meet and speak with industry representatives, Barry also finds the updates and advice provided as part of the sustainable energy supply chain programme very beneficial for his business. Barry particularly finds updates and guidance on bidding for contracts, training and certification, and financial support schemes useful. These updates help him to understand current developments in the market and what opportunities this may generate for Renewable Heat Installation and Servicing.
Barry wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the events and updates from the sustainable energy supply chain programme to others in the industry. He believes Energy Saving Trust is doing a great job at supporting the industry and that programme manager Ian is “a champion for us all”, providing a useful point of contact for Barry and his colleagues.