2019 was a busy year for Woodco – from the long-awaited launch of the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat and our domestic wood pellet boiler “scrappage scheme” to solar PV and international conferences, our team were kept on their feet!
Just one month in, 2020 is proving to be just as promising. Read on to find out more about what we got up to over the past few months and what we have in store.
The Support Scheme for Renewable Heat has gotten off to a flying start. Since its launch in June of last year, Woodco has submitted several applications for new Biomass boilers for businesses across the country, including farms, hotels, care homes and pharmaceutical plants.
We have already fully completed a number of projects – including this 300kW SUPERMAX wood chip boiler on a pig farm in Co. Offaly. The SSRH is open to all non-domestic organisations. For more information, contact Ger at ger@woodco-energy.com.
2. Woodco at the Global Sanitation Economy Summit – Pune, India
In October, our Technical Director Declan made the trip to Pune in western India to represent Woodco at the inaugural Global Sanitation Economy Summit. Hosted by the Toilet Board Coalition, the Summit aimed to bring together business, investment and sanitation leaders from around the world, who work at the forefront of the Sanitation Economy, showcasing solutions that will help tackle the global sanitation crisis.
On World Toilet Day, Declan took part in a panel discussion on smart sensor integration across the Smart Sanitation Economy, and the factors that give rise to the risk of disease. To learn more about this incredible event and the Toilet Board Coalition, visit www.toiletboard.org.
We published a blog post about Declan’s trip to Pune – read more about the event here.
3. Recognition at the 2019 Ploughing Championships
Woodco has exhibited at the National Ploughing Championships for several years now. In 2019, we were delighted to secure a spot in the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena to showcase our new Biogenic Processor. This technology can generate heat and power from agricultural residues – which will be a game changer in the agricultural sector.
We were honoured to accept the Enterprise Ireland Agri-Environmental award, presented to Declan by Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, and Anna-May McHugh, Director of the National Ploughing Association.
4. More Awards for 2020
Looking forward to the coming year, Woodco has been shortlisted for two accolades at this year’s Green Awards. Last year, we were lucky enough to take home the Green Product Award for the Biogenic Processor. We have also received a nod for the Innovator of the Year at this year’s Small Firms Association Awards. Read more about these upcoming award ceremonies in our blog here.
5. Solar Photovoltaic Systems by SolarCo – a sister company of Woodco Energy
Woodco also specialises in installation of Solar Photovoltaic systems. In October, we completed a 100kW installation with over 300 panels for Galtee Wood Products in Ballylanders, Co. Limerick. This installation was carried out by SolarCo, alongside the Tipperary Energy Agency under the Better Energy Communities scheme.
There is also a grant available for domestic installations. Homeowners can claim a grant of up to €3,000 from the SEAI for Solar PV systems, providing free electricity for self consumption, and free hot water. Part of this grant is also for battery storage, so you can save any excess power that you do not use throughout the day. For more information on commercial and domestic solar PV, call us on (062) 74007 or email info@solarco.ie. Below are some examples of domestic installations recently completed by our installer Stephen (or “Spiderman”, as we like to call him!) and his team.
We also have got a fantastic referral programme in place for our Solar PV customers – tell your friends about your Solar PV system, and, if they place an order with us, we will send you a €100 Tesco voucher – simple as that. We have installed Solar PV systems in every county in Ireland, so if you’re curious to see an existing installation, let us know. We would be happy to arrange for you to visit one. For more information, visit www.solarco.ie.
6. Upgrading wood pellet boilers with our “Scrappage Scheme”
In 2019 we installed over 70 domestic wood pellet boilers, as part of our pellet boiler ‘scrappage & upgrade scheme’. We invited homeowners to trade their old pellet boiler – no matter what make or model – against a new E-Compact or Prestige boiler from Woodco, for a discount of €2,000. Many of these boilers were installed around 2006, with the introduction of a grant for the installation of domestic pellet boilers.
Over the coming weeks, we plan to expand this offer to include the trade-in of domestic oil boilers, fitted more than 10 years ago, to be replaced with a new Woodco wood pellet boiler. We have a number of different models and outputs to choose from, for both indoor and outdoor installations – so watch this space…
7. New Recruits
Over the past couple of months, we have welcomed a number of new members to the team, including Rod Hogan as Commercial Project Manager, Magda Mucha as Operations Manager, Adam Orlowski as Service Engineer, and Justyna Ciesnik and Viktoriia Sidorova in the accounts team. We’re currently recruiting for our R&D team. Rod will be the main point of contact for SSRH projects. To get in touch with Rod, email projects@woodco-energy.com.
