Back to News >

Calibrate Energy welcomed the Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed and Secretary of State for International Trade, to cut the ribbon on their impressive 6.2mW Ground Source Heat Pump.

Arriving at the rural site in a Landrover Defender, reminiscent of an episode of the TV series Vera and quite a contrast to her life at Westminster, the Minister was praiseworthy of the company’s mission to drive down carbon emissions in-line with the Government’s agenda to reach carbon zero by 2050.

During the tour of the site, Ms Trevelyan spoke candidly about her love of engineering and technology and reflecting on her time spent as Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change, highlighted the need for a significant step change to switch the country to more eco-friendly energy solutions in homes and businesses, both new build and retro-fit.

Speaking after cutting the ribbon to launch the new system, which saw the heat pump affectionately named “Annie” after Ms Trevelyan, the Minister commented that:

“Calibrate have turned a series of rural sheds on disused land into an impressive set-up to showcase the true benefits of going carbon-free. I was impressed by the expertise of the team and the sheer scale of the Ground Source Heat Pump they have installed to heat and chill the office and fuel briquette factory.

“We need more progressive renewables companies to drive the carbon agenda and support businesses to reach the zero-carbon goal. In the most part, these are not new technologies, but they remain in the shadow of how things have always been done. A lot of education is needed from companies like Calibrate to help the country to understand the benefits more, be it financial or environmental, and make the switch to fossil-free.”

The culmination of years of planning and engineering, the business was proud to be able to showcase this innovative technology, which they usually design, install and maintain for high energy use businesses, for its own means at its head office in the North Northumberland.

The impressive system is one of the largest in the country and will provide heating for the new head office once built, district heating for 11 houses (although it could also heat the local villages with ease) and energy to run the new factory, which makes eco-friendly wood, compost and fertilizer briquettes. It will also benefit from a significant financial return from the RHI tariff (the Government’s rebate programme for renewable technologies). This kickback is based on the credentials of the pump, which delivers a total energy efficiency of 650%, reducing fossil free usage and impact on the environment.

Calibrate’s innovative strategy for the site will see the second stage of the project being installed very soon, this will generate electricity onsite through green gas and ultimately Hydrogen to be used in the onsite process and also feed back to the National Grid at specific times to ease the pressure and allow for balanced energy usage.

Following the launch of the system by the Minister, Calibrate opened its doors to both local businesses and others from as far afield as Shrewsbury to look round and talk to its experts about Calibrate’s vast portfolio of solutions aimed at slashing energy costs and reducing carbon footprint.

Susie McDonald, Director for Calibrate concluded that:

“These open events are a great way to share our expertise on how to move away from more traditional energy sources to more environmentally friendly solution. Many businesses want to switch to fossil-free but don’t yet understand the savings they could make longer term. This is where we can help through Calibrate Analytics, our innovative tool that assesses business’s energy use and recommends the most efficient switch from traditional to renewable sources for a more sustainable future both financially and environmentally.”

To date Calibrate have installed 300mW of heat pumps, over 100 Combined Heat & Power Systems, as well as prevented the release of almost 10,000 tonnes (and counting) of carbon into the atmosphere.