Energy firm set to create 700 new jobs in Ipswich through launch of ‘game-changing’ gas boiler
An Ipswich-based energy firm plans to create around 700 jobs over the
next two to three years as it launches a revolutionary new gas boiler.
Felaw Maltings-based Flow Energy, which sells gas and electricity to
householders, says it will be expanding its Suffolk sales and backroom
staff workforce following the launch of its new electricity-creating
‘mini power station’ for the home in January.
An
American manufacturing giant, Jabil, will be making the boilers for
Flow in Livingstone, Scotland, and the first of these should roll off
the production line in about a fortnight.
Flow boss Tony Stiff said the product will revolutionise the heating market in the UK.
“It’s
a world first. It’s a game-changing product,” he said. “It’s a gas
boiler. It looks like a gas boiler, but when it runs it generates
electricity as well.”
The
company, which has a research and development site in Chester, bought
the patent for the product from America about 10 years ago.
It developed the
idea at a cost of about £60million, and a year ago, Westerfield-based Mr
Stiff, who started out as its commercial director, set up a 100-strong
sales operation from a standing start in Ipswich. He felt the town was
the ideal base for the operation because of its strong energy sales
sector and established skills base.
Because
of the high cost of the first boilers to come off the production line,
Flow has decided to offer suitable householders a deal whereby they pay
their own installation costs, but the company will foot the bill for the
boiler through a finance arrangement. The customer buys electricity
from the company under a contract which has got the thumbs-up from
energy watchdog Ofgem.
Because
the boilers are doubling as electricity generators, they will consume
slightly more gas than a modern boiler when they are operating, and this
is expected to increase the annual bill by about £40.
“It
reduces carbon by about 20% in your home,” said Mr Stiff. “It’s not a
renewable technology. It’s using gas, but it uses gas far more
efficiently then we would in a power station.”
He
added: “If you have a million of these units installed, you would have a
couple of the large power stations that you would would not need. We
think this will increase the security of supply in the UK and will
enable us to help UK plc as well as the customer.”
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Energy firm set to create 700 new jobs in Ipswich through launch of ‘game-changing’ gas boiler
