Archive for April, 2009

Energy-efficiency homes ‘protected from downturn’

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

During these troublesome times for property, it’s difficult to identify ways in which homeowners can limit the effect the downturn has on property values. However a renewable energy installer claims that by implementing energy-efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies, homeowners can protect them from declining house-prices and make their property stand out from the crowd.

 

Access Renewables, which installs renewable technologies such as solar and wind power, suggests that by installing renewable energy systems to a home, they can make a property more appealing to potential buyers. Karen Jones, managing director of Access Renewables said “We’ve worked with both domestic customers and house-builders, and both have one common goal – to make a property as marketable as possible.” Miss Jones continues “Renewables are an attractive feature for a prospective buyer as they offer some relief to fuel usage and prices. During a time in which every penny counts, we’ve seen that buyers are favouring properties which offer such green credentials.”

 

One claim which supports this comes from eco-homes expert Julian Brooke’s of GreenMoves. Earlier this week, he claimed that the demand for eco-homes is “holding up” citing a development that has received serious interest from potential buyers. He suggested that so far, the green property industry has yet to be affected by the slowdown in sales.

 

Housebuilders across the country are implementing renewable energy technologies into developments in an attempt to add benefit to potential buyers. Builders are increasing installing solar and air-source heat pumps to new-build properties in order to achieve higher levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

 

Access Renewables encourages homeowners and housebuilders to serious consider the benefits of renewable energy, whether they are looking to sell the property or add value to it. Karen Jones continues “There were previously many barriers to installing renewables into a home however now that planning permissions have been relaxed and funding opportunities are continuing, many are choosing renewables over conventional equipment.”

Expansion plans announced…

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

A new renewable energy company set-up in the North East has announced ambitious plans for expansion, bucking the national trend of job losses and cut-backs.

County Durham-based Access Renewables plan to bring around 10 new jobs to the area in the next 12 to 18 months to cope with the rising demand for its renewable energy products and services, which include solar panels and wind turbines. The jobs are expected to be within the specialist installation teams, which are highly-trained to install the systems. 

The company was launched earlier this year by experienced industry professionals from the area, and since launch has secured a number of contracts and distributorship agreements as the country embraces the green approach to generating heat and power using renewable sources.

To aid the growth of the business, the company managed to secure funding and expertise from the North East England Investment Centre which will accelerate its growth, bringing much needed jobs to the area sooner.

Karen Jones, Managing Director said “The north east is an ideal location to start and grow a business due to its excellent support facilities, and even more so that it’s regarded as the worldwide expertise centre for renewable energy technologies.”

The company was started by Karen Jones and Sean Collier, two business leaders from Teesside who have been involved in the renewable energy industry for some time. Having worked for another company in the industry, they felt the time was right to create a new company committed to reducing the carbon emissions to clients who are keen to embrace innovative technologies, whilst securing a reliable and green source of energy.

Karen Jones also comments “We are looking forward to expanding our business using the excellent resources available in the North East.”

Access Renewables to install new Ampair wind turbines

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Ampair, the Berkshire, UK based company, has just revealed photographs of its sleek new 6000W x 5.5m turbine, the latest in a long line of reliable, rugged and quiet wind generators. This impressive turbine recently won the prestigious Rushlight Windpower Award 2008 and the company is now accepting orders via County Durham-based distributor Access Renewables.

 

Ampair 6kw wind turbine installed

 

The new machine has a rotor diameter of 5.5 m and is ideal for supplying power to remote farms or rural houses, telecoms systems, public buildings, schools or industrial infrastructure, either offshore or onshore, for 230V grid connection or for 48V battery charging.

 

Like all Ampair turbines, it is manufactured from high quality marine grade materials making it particularly suited to remote, coastal or cold-weather applications and in keeping with the company’s quality ethos is designed to be compliant with the IEC 61400-2 standard for a Class I turbine, which means it can be easily and safely installed worldwide. It is a fully sealed unit that does not require costly annual servicing.

 

ampair_logo_blackA range of mast options is available. As with all turbines, more height gives greater power because of the increase in wind speed so Ampair can supply masts from 10m to 30m in a variety of styles including monopole or lattice; guyed or unguyed.

 

The installed price for the grid connected 230V system on a 10m mast is just £18,900 excluding foundations and VAT. As Ampair’s managing director David Sharman says “We have always worked on an unsubsidised commercial basis and see no reason to charge the high prices that are the norm in the 6kW market. In my opinion, the current grant subsidies from Westminster and Scotland to favoured manufacturers are propping up this practice and are a distortion of the market and should be withdrawn immediately.”

 

Since 1973 Ampair has been recognised as a leader in small wind turbine technology with over twenty thousand units installed worldwide. There are Ampair turbines from the Antarctic to Alaska, and the Solent to the Sahara including some of the harshest environments known to man. The lessons learned from this continuous history are always incorporated into every generation of the company’s products, ensuring an extremely high “return for investment” level due to reliability and longevity.

 

The family-owned Ampair is Britain’s oldest wind turbine manufacturer and is proud to be an independent and thriving manufacturer with strong export sales through its network of global distributors. Additionally, the company prides itself on its after sales service and boasts that it can still service and maintain units going back over many years, often by the same experienced technicians who manufactured them decades ago.

 

The new Ampair 6000 fits neatly into a slot in the market which Ampair has been working to fill for several years to satisfy the rising demand for a turbine of this size made to Ampair’s high standards.

 

rushlight-awards-winner-2008Access Renewables are an authorised supplier and installer of Ampair turbines in the UK, and are hoping to install the first Ampair 6000 in the North East of England. Sean Collier of Access Renewables commented: “Ampair are making excellent progress in the wind arena and this latest offering underlines their commitment to delivering quality turbines. We are extremely proud to be working with Ampair during the launch of the new turbine and we look forward to installing the first units very soon.”

 

Access Renewables supply and install Ampair wind turbines to a wide range of users such as agricultural, commercial and industrial and rural home/land owners.




Accreditations

Access Renewables Limited | Units 9-11 Woodstock Court | Bowesfield Industrial Estate | Stockton On Tees | TS18 3BL
Tel: 01642 606096 | Fax: 01642 688690
Registered in England & Wales | Registered office: as above | Co. reg. no: 6782450