Opinion

Two minutes with BSRIA

2mins

Who are you?
Julia Evans, CEO, BSRIA

What do you do?
BSRIA is a thought leader in the building services world and offers innovative advice, testing and knowledge to members and to the industry as a whole.

Where are you?
We operate Worldwide

How’s business at the moment?
The market for renewable technologies in the UK is doing poorly. Heat pump and solar thermal sales have decreased in 2014 despite the introduction of the long awaited RHI incentive scheme. 2015/16 does not offer better prospects. Government decisions to drop the 2016 Zero Carbon Goal for new homes and pull Green Deal, plus huge reductions in the Feed-in Tariff and likely cuts to RHI tariffs result in an uncertainty among industry stakeholders and end user. The start/stop way of acting around policies designed to cut the greenhouse gas emissions and support the development of the renewables market will result in a painful failure to achieve both.

How could business be better?
Clarity and long term stability in support mechanisms are needed for the market to take a positive turn; and of course well-thought through policies that do not provide surprises to end user and policy makers alike.

Who do you admire in renewables?
I admire all the manufacturers, contractors and installers who have put a lot of effort into the introduction of renewable products to the market. Their work, devotion and faith in the future were often remarkable.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?
You have one mouth but two ears, use them proportionately.