Shadow Energy Minister opens centre

Words and picture by The Kent and Sussex Courier

Architects, builders, engineers and manufacturers came from across the country for the official opening of a renewable energy centre in East Sussex last week.

Shadow energy minister Charles Hendry, who is also MP for Wealden, unveiled a plaque and praised Paynes Energy Solutions for the work they had put into developing the centre at Blackboys.

Mr Hendry is pictured, right, with Frank Payne the founder of Paynes Energy solutions.

Mr Hendry said: ‘It is fantastic to have a resource like this here in the middle of Wealden. It is fascinating to see a whole range of different technologies in just one room. Your organisation is going to attract people from many miles around.’

The ‘Green Room’, as it has been dubbed by Paynes’ employees, accommodates a working display of ground source, air to air and air to water heat pumps, water harvesting and solar products which can supply heating and hot water for homes and businesses.

Mr Hendry said the country was facing a ‘very serious energy challenge’. As the cost of electricity rises, people would need to reduce the number of units of electricity they were using and he foresaw a real surge of interest in companies such as Paynes over the coming months.

Special feed-in tariffs were to be introduced as incentives for people to generate their own energy. They would be paid according to the amount they saved the national grid. That would drive forward interest and investment in the area of renewable energy, said Mr Hendry.

 He added that such payments would be retrospective so anybody installing microgeneration facilities now would benefit.

Mr Hendry also called for more information to be carried on electricity bills telling people how much electricity a typical house like theirs used.

Consumers would start to reduce their consumption and that would drive a real change of interest in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

David Puttick, from the Carbon Trust, said afterwards his organisation had been working with Paynes since they started putting the exhibition together.

‘I like the fact they are giving people the option to choose the right solution for them. They are not pushing products on to people.’

A home energy advisor from Ten Lifestyle Management, Geoff Keys, who has been involved in promoting the Mayor of London’s green homes scheme, said he was learning a lot from seeing the displays at the energy centre.

He was now more aware of the benefits of different systems and that would help when he advised home owners on the energy saving measures they could introduce.

Wealden District Council asset management co-ordinator Julian Salmon, who deals with the council’s housing stock, said he was impressed by the range of solutions under one roof. ‘It is really positive to see a local company looking at solutions like this.’

Mr Frank Payne, founded Paynes Heating and Plumbing 30 years ago. He told guests at the opening of the heat centre that renewable energy was undoubtedly the way forward and it was a source of pride to Paynes that they were in the forefront of technologies.

Earlier he said renewable energy was the biggest thing that had happened to the heating industry in this country since the conversion to natural gas in the late 60s early 70s.

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