Alternative energy display at Barnstaple firm

WITH a threat of energy bills increasing by as much as 60 per cent in the next 10 years, Calorex, the European leader in heat pump technology, and Barnstaple-based Golden Coast, have established the first commercial display facility of the company s alter

WITH a threat of energy bills increasing by as much as 60 per cent in the next 10 years, Calorex, the European leader in heat pump technology, and Barnstaple-based Golden Coast, have established the first commercial display facility of the company's alternative environmentally-friendly energy solutions in the South West of England.

Golden Coast has installed a fully-operational Calorex air-source heat pump system to provide all its own hot water requirements and space heating in part of its office and warehouse premises on the Roundswell Commercial Park in Barnstaple.

"This is the first purpose-built operational display facility available to us in the South West where we can demonstrate the benefits of using heat pumps to provide domestic hot water and space heating to potential customers and installers interested in this technology," said Tony Barnes, sales director for domestic heating at Calorex.

With more than 1,000 heat pump units already installed in a range of properties in the region, Calorex has previously had to rely on showcasing live systems installed in existing customers' homes.

"Many of our customers are local authorities, housing associations and property developers. While we have used individual facilities for demonstration purposes in the past, at Golden Coast we now have the opportunity to run seminars on-site alongside the very systems we are discussing," added Barnes.

Co-operation between the two companies has already resulted in the first of a series of planned joint seminars for local architects, specifiers, building and plumbing contractors in the region. With the Government pushing for greater use of alternative renewable energy throughout the UK, both Calorex and Golden Coast believe that the 'local' south west market is set to expand rapidly.

The combination of its humid temperate climate and the fact that many rural areas are not connected to mains gas, the region offers the greatest opportunity for customers to benefit from the use of heat pumps to capture the earth's natural heat and convert it into low cost energy.

"The energy regulator Ofgem announced earlier this month (October) that UK households could face energy bill increases as high as 60 per cent over the next decade," said Shaun Adams, Director of Golden Coast

"In the South West there are a high proportion of more remote communities that rely on oil, LPG, electric space heating and solid fuel. Energy prices have soared in recent years and the Ofgem announcement signals future increases will continue, leaving homeowners looking for an economic and energy efficient alternative" added Adams.

"Heat pump technology is a proven efficient alternative energy source, which offers a real alternative against consistent fuel price increases," he said.

Calorex has manufactured over a quarter of a million heat pump units and developed a unique range of domestic products designed specifically for the UK housing market.

Working on the principle of extracting low-grade energy that is available in the air and ground, the units upgrade this into useable high-grade energy for the home with zero carbon emissions. This extremely efficient technology is used widely in Sweden, Switzerland, France, Germany and the USA.