Demand for green energy sees NWS recruit up to 200 new staff

NWS, one of the biggest and most experienced installers of energy saving measures in the UK, has appointed 80 new staff over the past month and plans to hire a further 120 people by December.

The firm, formerly known as Nationwide Solar and headquartered in Tankersley, has only been trading for three years. But the demand for green energy and a raft of government initiatives, has boosted business.

Russ Cowan, MD of NWS, said: “This is a hugely exciting time for us, as we have expanded rapidly over the past few weeks with new staff including Green Deal assessors, technical surveyors, administration staff and heating engineers, through to window fitters and insulation specialists.

“Now we have been approved as a Green Deal provider, it means that at last people can access government funding to pay for their energy efficient home improvements – and we are one of the few providers in the country that can help them with this.”

He added: “As we employ all of our own tradespeople in-house we can guarantee the quality of their work and ensure the best possible experience for our customers.”

The Green Deal Cashback Scheme is a first-come, first-served offer where householders in England and Wales can claim money back from the Government on energy saving improvements like insulation, front doors, windows and boilers. Packages can be worth more than £1,000.

It works on the basis that the more the householder does, the more they get. To ensure that its customers can benefit from the Green Deal immediately, NWS has introduced its own Green Deal finance option, the ‘Greener Deal’, which covers the 13 energy efficiency measures for which the company is approved. 

These measures include the installation of Solar PV, panels that are fixed on to the roof and generate electricity from daylight. NWS says this can create savings and income of around £635 per year.

Other measures include solid wall insulation – both internal and external, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, as well as fitting energy efficient glazing and doors, new energy efficient boilers and draught proofing, installing heating controls for central heating and warm air systems and upgrading lighting systems.

NWS is one of the largest suppliers of Solar PV systems to housing associations and local authorities across the country. The firm is also approved to offer ECO (Energy Company Obligation) for households where the Green Deal measures do not meet the optimum savings required by the Green Deal, or for residents in fuel poverty.

Mr Cowan said: “We approach things quite differently from most companies. Every company says customer service is at the forefront of what they provide but they find it difficult to act on that desire. To ensure we give that level of service, we directly employ staff. Over three years, we are now up to 120 people on that principle alone.”

A spokesman for the Energy Saving Trust, a social enterprise with a charitable foundation, said: “The UK has some of the leakiest homes in Europe and we’re wasting millions of pounds every year. With energy prices expected to continue to rise in the years ahead, investing in insulation for example will quickly pay for itself, saving money on fuel bills.

“There are also incentives for people looking to produce their own energy so that householders can really take control. Investing in our homes by making them cosier is great for householders and does much to support local green jobs and economies.”

As far as the new wave of NWS recruits is concerned, a large number will be devoted to installing biomass boilers. The firm will install them for free and customers will then buy wood pellets from NWS.