With the pressure of national and international targets to reduce carbon emissions and increasing levels of fuel poverty in the UK, two non-profit distributing organisations have joined forces to turn parts of the UK into renewable energy microgeneration hot spots.

Community Energy Solutions (CES) and Renewables East, are celebrating the successful completion of a tender process for suppliers of air-to-water heat pumps. Both parties aim to bring affordable and environmentally-friendly warmth into up to 2,500 homes by introducing renewable heating systems and insulation measures.

The contracts, for the supply and distribution of air source heat pumps, are worth an estimated £3.75 million and will result in the lives of a large number of households  being improved by providing a cleaner and more cost effective  source of space heating and domestic hot water,  reducing the carbon footprint of whole regions.

Air-to-water-heat pumps provide a low carbon, cost effective heating solution by extracting the heat from outside air and using it to heat homes.

After receiving 33 expressions of interest, CES has partnered with Renewables East to nominate three suppliers of micro renewable energy technologies, creating a robust supply chain.

The suppliers, Daikin, TEV (Heat King), and Mitsubishi have now entered contracts to provide an expected 2,500 air source heat pumps over the next two years.

CES Chief Executive, Chris Leek outlines the impact the move will have on CES’s commitment to providing mass market renewable technology:

“This will serve to drive forward our agenda to make a real difference to the carbon footprint of communities across much of England as well as help the UK meet its target of 15% of its energy coming from renewables by 2020. With a tender this size, we have been able to purchase the air source heat pumps in bulk, thus reducing the cost massively and enabling us to pass on this saving to communities.”

Three years ago, when CES put their last provision of air source heating pumps out to tender, they elected just one provider, a reflection of the small number of suppliers operating in the UK  at the time. Today, the fact that CES and Renewables East received over thirty expressions of interest, demonstrates the wide selection and competition in the market place. Clearly, renewable energy technologies such as air to water heat pumps are increasingly in demand and what was once a niche product is now becoming mainstream.

CES Operations Director, David Lacey commented: “Electing more than one provider will not only ensure that we don’t distort the market place, but also guarantee a robust supply chain at our fingertips. The air source heat pumps produced by TEV, Mitsubishi and Daikin are quite different products and therefore we are now able to give our partners, local authorities, social housing providers and private householders, more choice.”

Renewables East is an independent organisation, core funded by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).  Renewables East is closely modelling its own fuel poverty alleviation activities on the business model of both CES and GoWarm, based on the successes of CES in becoming a leading organisation in providing affordable, low carbon heating solutions. CES has already helped hundreds of people across the North East, Yorkshire and Humber by installing air to water heat pumps into communities which have no access to the mains gas network, where previously householders had been forced to rely on ineffective, expensive and carbon-rich heating and hot water systems.

CES is a non-profit-distributing organisation, which is funded by the Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change and regional development agencies, Yorkshire Forward and One North East.

For more information about Renewables East, please visit www.renewableseast.org.uk