OPUS Starts a Green Revolution

Posted: 23/03/2011

A North East based renewable energy company is helping to get tradesmen back into full-time employment as part of the Government’s ‘Green Deal.’

Chris Cassells, Managing Director, and Gavin Richardson, Commercial Director, set up renewable energy installation company OPUS Green Limited in October 2010, and 5 months on have started a ‘Green Revolution’ across North East England.

The Green Revolution aims to reduce unemployment and get tradesmen who have found themselves out of work due to the recession back into full time employment. OPUS Green believes that the Green Revolution can provide homeowners and businesses with not only a great investment opportunity but a chance to revive a region that has had its fair share of industrial heartache over the years.

OPUS Green offer bespoke renewable energy solutions and installation to householders, businesses and local authorities who are looking to reduce their fuel bills and carbon emissions. Some of the solutions they offer are Solar PV (photovoltaic) installations that use the daylight to generate electricity, solar thermal, heat-pumps, rainwater harvesting systems, energy efficient lighting and a whole range of energy efficient innovations. Some of these systems can tap in to the Government’s clean energy cash back incentive schemes, in particular Solar PV qualifies for the Feed in Tariff (FiT) scheme, which allows companies and individuals who install Solar PV to earn a tax-free income for 25 years from the energy they produce.

Chris Cassells, Managing Director says: “The North East is well known for its industrial background and we are constantly reminded of the decline of the industrial giants such as mining, shipbuilding and more recently the closure of the steelworks in Redcar. However, beneath the headlines what is sometimes forgotten is that we have a high population of skilled hardworking tradesman in the North East with a desire to get back to work.”

OPUS Green, working in collaboration with OPUS Building Services, has recruited tradesmen who have found themselves out of work due to the recession and both plan to carry on giving more good tradesmen a job as part of the Green Revolution. Gavin Richardson, OPUS Green’s co-founder and managing director of OPUS Building Services which provides mechanical, electrical and plumbing services to a multitude of commercial clients is passionate about this because he feels that it is a shame to waste the talent of tradesmen who have found themselves out of work through no fault of their own. He says:

“There are a number of green initiatives that have been set by the Government to ensure they meet their ambitious and legally binding carbon reduction targets. OPUS Green and OPUS Building services are combining their efforts to ensure we meet all of our clients’ requirements. We feel that with minimal re-training unemployed tradesman and existing OPUS operatives can become specialist renewable installers.  We want to encourage businesses to go green, as not only will they be saving money and the environment but they will be reducing their carbon footprint.  This new venture aims to increase our specialist services whilst increasing employment in the region”.

The company provides green energy solutions that can earn companies and individuals tax-free income. For example a typical 3.7kW Solar PV system on a south facing roof can provide around 3000 kWh of electricity which in provides the homeowner with an annual FiT payment of £1300.

For further information on OPUS visit www.opus-green.co.uk / www.opusbuildingservices.co.uk.