Renewables firm shortlisted for UK award
ZERO, a leading renewables company based in Sowton, Exeter, has been shortlisted in a national Government-led competition to help drive down energy bills and boost low carbon heat supplies in the UK.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey, officially unveiled the 17 winning entries at the Association for Decentralised Energy Parliamentary Reception on Tuesday, 20 January. The winners are spread across the country and will share a prize pool of £1 million to carry out feasibility studies, before up to 10 of the best projects bid for a share of £6 million to fully implement their plans.
A total of 57 applications were received from 39 organisations and were reviewed by a panel of engineering, and commercial experts with significant experience in heat networks development. Bids were assessed against a range of criteria including technical feasibility, commercial viability, future carbon saving and social benefits.
It is hoped that the competition will help stimulate innovation in heat network technologies and bring the UK a step closer to generating 14% of heat demand through heat networks by 2030, while reducing carbon emissions and cutting bills for consumers.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: “This competition is all about supporting innovation and progress in the heat industry so we can heat more homes across the UK for less, while at the same time improve energy efficiency and cut the UK’s carbon emissions.
“More support for local heating projects will also give jobs in the sector a huge boost, with the value of the district and heat network market expected to rise to around £530 million this year.”
Finian Parrick, founder and Managing Director of ZERO, comments: “We are thrilled to have been shortlisted, especially as there were so many high calibre entries from across the UK. Product research and innovation is central to ZERO’s culture and we are committed to reducing carbon emissions by developing district heating technologies.
The next stage for us is to demonstrate the benefits of our new product and we are hopeful we will be successful and make it through to the next round in March.”
Working at the forefront of innovative technology, ZERO offers premium carbon neutral heating products, from biomass boilers to heat pumps and solar thermal systems. The company employ over 50 people and recently moved to a new site four times the size of its original office.
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