A manufacturer of pre-insulated pipe systems has embarked on a million-pound programme of refurbishment and expansion at its Hampshire headquarters and manufacturing plant.
CPV said the investment is in response to the increasing number of site owners and developers choosing district heating as a means of bringing low-carbon heat to homes and businesses.
An eight-acre site near Romsey has been home to the company and its 40 employees since it was acquired in the mid-1990s. And with district heating techniques now recognised by the UK Government as a technology that can make a significant contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions from the built environment, interest in CPV’s range of pre-insulated steel and plastic pipe systems has hit at an all-time high.
Managing director Mark Whettall said: “This growth in the market has resulted in us needing to increase both our production and stockholding facilities with additional space in excess of some 3,500 square metres. This means that we’ll be able to supply many more orders directly from stock, speeding up the way in which we can service our customers’ projects – as timescales are usually critical – particularly when they are digging up busy city streets or residential areas.”
The company has also increased its project and engineering teams to support the additional work, at the same time as remodelling and refurbishing offices, training and presentation suites.
Whettall added: “It’s an exciting time for the district heating industry. After decades of promotion and lobbying, the technology has finally got its due recognition. Many new, high-profile systems are being installed in towns and cities throughout the UK and this only looks set to increase – particularly as the Heat Strategy published earlier this year by the Department of Energy and Climate Change clearly underlines the role that district heating will play in lowering greenhouse gas emissions.”
