Pictured: (L-R) Barrie Billinghay, innovation advisor, iNet
& Julian Patrick, managing director, Freewatt Ltd review part
of the Freewatt Education Package on renewable energies
Two businesses in Lincolnshire, renewable energy installer
Freewatt Ltd and commercial heating, plumbing, irrigation and waste
water treatment firm GlenFarrow UK Ltd, have recently announced
significant staff investments. Freewatt has quadrupled its
workforce from six to 24 people since 2010 and GlenFarrow has
employed four new engineers in the past 12 months.
Both businesses received Innovation Support Funding (ISF) from
the Sustainable Construction iNet (iNet), the Daventry-based
organisation, which operates throughout the East Midlands,
specialising in providing funding, support and an invaluable
network of professional bodies - including universities - to SMEs
involved in the development of new products and services for the
sustainable construction market.
Barrie Billinghay, innovation advisor, iNet said: "Our aim is to
help innovative companies in the East Midlands achieve success with
their projects. We are so pleased that these firms have grown and
are flourishing and they are testament to the work that we do. iNet
has more funding available and is currently seeking SMEs across the
East Midlands that require support or funding to assist in the
development or research into a new product, system or process for
the construction sector."
As well as bolstering its team, Freewatt has invested in new
plant and machinery and extended its premises at its base in Stow,
Lincolnshire to accommodate the increase in deliveries and vehicles
on site. In late 2010, iNet helped Freewatt develop a teacher
training package for primary school children on solar PV in a
collaboration project with Bishop Groesseteste University
College.
Julian Patrick, managing director, Freewatt commented: "Freewatt
is a family owned and operated company and has an enviable
reputation for installing solar PV on churches, colleges,
industrial and domestic buildings. The business has grown as a
result of the increase in demand for solar PV and we have been able
to employ new staff on the back of this. iNet's help on the teacher
training package project was invaluable in giving the company a
boost and confidence to pass on our expertise to primary school
children."
Spalding-based GlenFarrow has brought in the new engineers to
help support increased demand for the company's services over the
past two years. iNet supported GlenFarrow in 2010 to design,
manufacture and test its range of batch-fed biomass boilers for the
agricultural and rural domestic market. GlenFarrow was awarded the
Best Innovation Award at LAMMA 2011 for its Biomass Boiler.
Paul Kitchen, managing director, GlenFarrow said: "We're
delighted to have been able to take on additional staff. GlenFarrow
continues to grow and expand across all our divisions and our range
of biomass boilers plays a key part in our plans for the
future."
iNet is based at the iCon Centre in Daventry, a purpose-built
business hub featuring best-practice design with sustainability.
Interested parties should contact the iNet on
info@construction-inet.org.uk or telephone 01604 892326.