Do people invest in energy saving devices, such as solar panels, to save themselves money in the long run, or are they primarily motivated by 'doing the right thing' by the planet and by future generations?
That was the question I found myself pondering with Jason Hobbins the other day, when discussing the impressive growth of his company EnergyMyWay, which now employs 13 staff at its headquarters in Eynsham and has signed up 15 franchisees working from other offices throughout the UK.
Mr Hobbins, 42, said: "I think its a mixture of both. Certainly I like working in a business that I believe in.
“Its incredibly exciting but strangely I spend a lot of my time telling people what not to do. For instance, they sometimes want to put up solar panels in unsuitable places. But my job is simply to tell them what would be best for them. Trust between the company and the customer is what is paramount."
He added: "What we have provided from the very beginning is independent, educated advice about how to reduce energy use and carbon output. That is exactly what we still do."
And 'the very beginning' in terms of his enterprise occurred a remarkably short time ago, considering the business is now turning over about £2.4m a year: in 2008 to be precise — the year of the economic crash.
"I started in the back room of my house in Forest Hill. We then moved the business to Eynsham in early 2011," he explained.
This move came about because old-established electrical company Darke and Taylor, of Kidlington — which can trace its history back to the 19th century and employs 140 people — began working closely with EnergyMyWay through a joint venture holding company. It then acquired a 60 per cent share of the Eynsham company.
Mt Hobbins said: "The reason for selling the majority share was that I found I needed the backing of a bigger company to get the bigger contracts."
Now he has several of those under his belt including: the UK's largest solar energy plant at the former airfield of Wroughton, in Wiltshire, with proposed output of 42 megawatts; Begbroke Science Park; Oxford University's Swindon book repository; and the Monument Business Park at Chalgrove where a boiler is installed which runs on pellets made from saw dust. Then there is work for Swindon Borough Council and Cherwell District Council.
There is also the 50 Kilowatt installation at the Baptist Church's headquarters, Baptist House, in Didcot, which equates to 1,000 solar panels, completed in 2011.
Mr Hobbins said: "The tie-up with Darke and Taylor works well partly because I have known commercial director Simon Newton for years. We both grew up in Oxford, where I went to school and the first invoice I issued was to that company.
Mr Newton, of Darke and Taylor, added: "For us it makes sense because we wanted to expand our renewable side and here was a specialist with a fantastic brand with whom we already had a good working relationship."
But how did Mr Hobbins acquire the knowledge to supply expert energy advice — his stock in trade — in the first place?
He answered: "I worked in Oxford for many years renovating properties and I became interested in energy conservation. Then I took a course at the National Energy Centre in Milton Keynes and became a qualified assessor and installer.
“Now our company is the oldest accredited photovoltaic company in Oxfordshire.”
Originally the firm only gave independent and educated advice on solar heating and hot water systems but now EnergyMyWay also helps with such schemes as wind turbines, biomass boilers and ground and air source heat pumps.
It is also gearing up to work with water heat pumps and hydro-energy too, since there is demand from the various Oxfordshire community energy groups with which the firm works closely.
And in talking of subsidies for renewable energy providers, it is worth remembering the wider background of the energy market in which companies like EnergyMyWay find themselves working.
Mr Hobbins said: "The UK Government is committed under EU law to produce at least 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 or face heavy fines. At the moment only four per cent is produced from renewables.
"On the macro level the nation could go nuclear but we feel there is plenty of room for expansion on the micro level too."
But back to the original discussion about the main motivation for people installing renewable energy sources either in the home or at businesses.
We both agreed that it is heartening that so many want to 'do the right thing' (what Mr Hobbins called "legacy").
After all, about 20 years ago, when global warming was gathering pace at a faster rate than had ever been noted by contemporary scientists, energy efficiency measures were seen as possible brakes on economic expansion. Now they are seen as providing a whole new area of economic activity.
Could it be that we are at last witnessing 'enlightened self interest' here, with sensible people seeing a way to obtain a fair profit from something that will ultimately benefit us all?
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