Our Client Success Stories
Discover how Weeks Energy has empowered clients with effective biomass solutions and RHI compliance.
These case studies illustrate our expertise in optimising operations and navigating regulatory challenges, showcasing the tangible benefits we deliver to businesses in the agricultural and industrial sectors
CASE STUDY 01.
Large commercial log drying company – successfully got missing RHI tariff.
Large commercial log drying company – successfully got missing RHI tariff.
Having bought 500kW of biomass they waited for over 18 months for the RHI from the seller who had disappeared! Once we became involved, we pushed Ofgem to “find” the missing RHI tariff, accept ownership of the tariff was our clients and successfully re apply for accreditation.
We have become the market leader dealing with such cases, whether it is due to fraud, insolvency or people just disappearing we have a track record of getting things resolved.
CASE STUDY 02.
MCPD, environmental permitting.
A large waste company had been miss informed a few before and installed over 2MW of biomass in city centre location. They fell foul of numerous Council regulation as well as failing to get RHI accreditation themselves and had to cease usage.
We took over from their consultants who did not really understand biomass took to fighting a war of words via email. We unravelled the stale mate and successfully got all permits and RHI. The head for the councils Environmental department credited our sensible approach to breaking the stalemate.
CASE STUDY 03.
Small districting heating system, compliance, and audit.
The owner of the series of holiday cottages had been on the RHI since 2013 but over the years had reworked the district heating until it hardly resembled the original. He had cut off buildings, added cottages and removed a large solar thermal array all of which was part of the application. It was total non-compliance on so many levels, until we got involved during his 10-year meter swap in 2023.
Just a few weeks later we attended an Ofgem inspection for the client, explaining all the changes and passing with flying colours.
CASE STUDY 04.
Scottish Pharmacy
Two years after buying a second hand 199kW biomass pellet boiler this business had received no RHI contract from the installer, just promises it was due “next week”. Our initial finding was that the NDRHI was valid but still registered to the previous owner, no effort had been made to relocate it. A simple problem for us but a pure headache for the pharmacy who missed £50,000 RHI all because the rogue seller could not do basic Ofgem paperwork.
CASE STUDY 07.
The benefits of using us as agents.
Our client came to us to sell a nice 199 drying tariff, the boiler was too old to bother moving. We sent a message to our clients who had asked us to keep an eye out for these types of deals. Within 24 hours we had two very keen buyers will make serious offers. Within the next 48 hours the price was raised above my expectation and a deal struck between the buyer and seller, we just took our finders fee.
The cash benefit here were clear:
The seller would have sold me the boiler for a maybe less than £60,000
We could then have sold it to our client for the final £95,000
By using us not only was the deal secure for both parties but:
The seller got £95,000 less our fee so £90,000
The buyer got to see the equipment on site, go through the RHI account and check everything before paying. A much safer way to spend £95,000
Be warned, it is in a dealers interest to keep the buyer and seller apart. To many times we see people who have paid the top price through a dealer but find everything is not as it seems. NDRHI contracts being compromised or not even there, serial numbers all wrong, the list goes on.
CASE STUDY 05.
A tale of two new log dryers – our client won.
After buying two second hand Glen Farrow log drying set ups from a rogue trader the two family members had no RHI. One came to us the other went to a local who had done lots of RHI work back in the early days.
Father appointed us and was accredited within 6 months; he received all the back RHI for those six months. After 8 months is son in law had admit defeat and appoint us, he did not receive a penny for all the time the other consultants messed him about,
CASE STUDY 08.
Multiple RHI meters – Time to stop and think
The ten-year NDRHI meter swap rule is a great opportunity to save money and make money. Early biomass installers were encouraged to fit far more heat meters than we would now, heat loss calculations were not used so much. After 10 years we now have to refit new meters but is that a good idea?
The answer is probably not, Ofgem’s own rules make it beneficial to go for a Heat Loss Assessment HLA over a new meter.
Look at the facts:
A new heat meter at the end of pipe run - You pay the real losses down the pipe, due to stopping and starting with pipes full of cold water, imperfect fitting, water ingress the list goes on.
Heat Loss Assessment HLA – Ofgem allow you to calculate the losses as if your site was a lab, perfect conditions as defined by the pipe manufacturer. We are looking at high ninety percents, simple not achievable, they also do not take into account that the whole pipe goes cold every time the pumps stop and then needs heating up again.
Talk to us, look at these basic figure based on a Lincolnshire farmer
Original system that is 10 year old so needs changing:
1 meter on the boiler (not paying RHI, just a check), 2 other meters in the house and workshop via underground pipe. The NDRHI paid out on the two meters was 63% of what was measured via the boiler meter.
Replacement cost 3 x £1,000 with 47% loss in income for the remaining 10 years
Convert to one main meter with HLA, install only £1,000 for the single meter and the HLC deduction is ZERO for ten years ,
Win today and win tomorrow
CASE STUDY 06.
Buyer beware 2024 – check what you are buying.
A client approached me with a 199kW biomass boiler and matching tariff he had bought from a trader, he was sure it was good because it came from a Church school and the trader said the RHI was a few online questions.
Within a few days he realised he had been conned, the boiler in question did not have a valid emissions certificate and it could not be relocated, we tried the manufacturers, the importers. This is one of the very first checks we make and part of the due diligence checking we keep mentioning.
CASE STUDY 09.
Update your RHI file today - a typical story
Faced with a Ofgem inspection in 2 weeks, our client called us for help. We attended ourselves to run through a “mock audit” based on experience and actual notes from inspectors. They thought they had good paperwork and would be OK. What we found was 2 inches of manuals and correspondence about the biomass purchase in 2015.
Within minutes we had MAJORS and lots of MINOR compliance issues for missing bits of paper. When it came to fuel records it was clear to us they had bought the right fuel but they could not produce enough proof without going into the archives.
Had our audit been the real thing they would have been under huge pressure from a long list of non-compliance issues that needed solving and proving to Ofgem via email. It is much easier to show an inspector your paperwork while he is in front of you, that way if he needs to clarify anything he can. Once the inspection is over even the smallest issue becomes a formal issue in writing and takes a lot of work.
We also identified some pipe work that was non-compliant and had been losing heat to the atmosphere for 9 years, a major non-compliance. RHI money paid to heat the sky! We got those insulated & boxed in with old timber, the problem went away.
Come the real inspection we had all the paperwork laid out and ready, the issues we could not resolve in time such as planning permission we had started to resolve.
To the inspector our client came across as well prepared, had hired a professional and was probably not worth wasting any more time on. The final report backed this up with lack of planning permission being his only issue.