A Highland biomass heating company expects to reach £5million turnover this year after starting from scratch nearly a decade ago.
Fort William-based HW Energy says its recent business boost comes after the introduction last year of a UK Government-backed scheme, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), to encourage more use of renewable energy heating.
Bruno Berardelli, the company’s managing director and co-founder, said: “We’ve completed nearly 200 biomass instals to date across Scotland and expect this to only increase with the introduction of the RHI.
“As customers start to see the real benefits of biomass and potential clients learn of the financial incentives on offer, we only expect this demand to grow.”
HW Energy started from humble beginnings, operating from a temporary cabin and second-hand mail van.
It now undertakes the design, installation and operation of biomass heating systems across Scotland.
Its clients range from farms and estates to organisations in the public sector and industry.
Mr Berardelli said the company’s success and several recent industry accolades were the result of the “hard work and dedication” of HW Energy’s 40-strong workforce.
Looking ahead to the expected further growth, he said more people were becoming aware of the benefits of using renewable energy for their heating.
He added: “Biomass is now a very attractive investment for those customers who use a lot of energy, spend a lot on their fuel bills and have substantial buildings to heat.”
As an example of the financial gains to be made from biomass heating, Mr Berardelli said the local Nevis Centre had made savings of more than £40,000 – enough to help the community leisure facility stay in business.
RHI, launched last November by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, is administered by energy industry regulator Ofgem.
The scheme provides incentive payments for each kilowatt-hour of energy produced by renewable heating systems.