Apprentice bonus from Council energy contract

15th October 2013

The Highland Council’s commitment to biomass as a heat source has enabled a Lochaber-based green energy company to employ two new apprentices to help service a four-year £1.2 million per year contract with the Council.

Biomass heat specialists, HWEnergy, who are based at Torlundy, Fort William, now have an in-house team of more than 50 who install, maintain and service biomass boilers as well as supply wood chips and pellets.

Apprentices Donald Livingstone and Wallace Hastings, both 19 and from Fort William, are the latest recruits to the company. Donald is studying a Service and Maintenance SVQ at North Glasgow College and Wallace is studying for an Electrical Apprenticeship at Inverness College UHI.

They demonstrated the green energy to Council Leader Drew Hendry and Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Highlands and Islands James Fraser during a recent demonstration of the biomass boilers at Inverness.

By making the switch to a renewable heat source at 61 sites across the Highlands, the Council has demonstrated its commitment to providing a cleaner, greener energy source.
It is estimated the contract will bring savings of 40% on heating fuels and leading to costs avoided in the region of £900,000. In addition the initiative will see a combined carbon saving of 7,500 tonnes per annum, which is the equivalent to 30million car miles off the road per annum.

The Highland Council was the first local authority to embrace the Scottish Government’s Biomass Energy Supply Agreement Framework for public and third sector, introduced earlier this year and designed to help achieve the Government’s target of 11% of heat generated through renewable sources by 2020.

Leader of The Highland Council, Councillor Drew Hendry said it was a real bonus that the Council was not only saving money and reducing carbon emissions but that another two apprentices had been employed as a result of the contract.

The commitment to biomass heating would contribute significantly to the Council’s “Carbon Clever” vision and shows leadership in achieving a Low Carbon Highlands.
He said: “The contract with HWEnergy to fully manage and operate the network of 65 biomass boilers really consolidates our commitment to providing a renewable source of heat to our sites, including schools, leisure centres and care homes, both now and long into the future.

“Biomass heat allows us to generate significant cost savings against oil which we can use to support other services in the area, it creates huge carbon savings which helps the environment and indirectly through local fuel supply it helps stimulate jobs and the local economy. It’s a win win situation all round.

Bruno Berardelli, Managing Director of HWEnergy said: “We are committed to helping young people learn a trade and Donald and Wallace are very welcome new additions to the company as we see more and more organisations realise the real benefits of renewable energy.

“Biomass heat can now be supplied in exactly the same way as any other energy contract with us providing a fully managed service that gives customers certainty on performance, on price and on cost and carbon savings.