Economy
Keeping people toasty via renewable energy
Happiest when ‘nerding out’ about renewable energy systems, Alex Willis is gleeful about having the power to make a difference. His job is helping more people to take a ‘whole home approach’ to green energy
Alex Willis – design and technical manager at Good Energy
Sub-zero temperatures might give most of us the shivers but for Alex Willis, a design and technical manager at sustainable energy stalwarts Good Energy (GE), a cold spell guarantees a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Willis heads up a small team designing heat pump systems, and nothing gives him greater satisfaction than the certain knowledge that GE’s customers are toasty in their cosy homes.
“In the depths of winter, when it’s minus 10 outside and the phones are quiet – that’s when you know there are hundreds of houses out there that you’ve put well-designed systems into, and they’re comfortable.”
“I think to myself: ‘If they were on gas or oil, it would be costing them an absolute wedge.’ I enjoy that aspect of the job: sitting back and watching it all run smoothly. There’s a sense of reward, and a sense of peace of mind.”
GE has been in the renewables game for more than 25 years, but branched out into designing and fitting green tech systems such as heat pumps and solar panels three years ago.
Willis joined when GE acquired the heat pump installers, Igloo. He thrives on the creative challenge of his work, dreaming up innovative ways to simplify the complex logistics of installing heat pumps on volume, but he’s equally happy giving his geekier side free rein.
“When you get a customer that’s really enthusiastic, you end up spending hours on the phone, just nerding out with each other!” he says.
Heat pump installations enjoyed a record year in the UK in 2024, despite the best efforts of mainstream media blowing cold on the idea. For Willis, much of the challenge in his work comes in tackling negative press and the rogue installers that give the heat pump industry a bad name.
“When you get people who don’t do it well, it leaves a nasty stain on heat pumps in general, so part of my job involves helping turn that around,” he explains. “If I get the opportunity to speak to customers, I try to put them at ease. Sometimes I’ll get involved in the comments in Facebook groups and forums.”
When he’s not spinning plates at work, Willis enjoys spinning records as his DJ alter-ego, putting on under-the-radar parties and tearing up dancefloors in Ibiza.
You know that feeling of low-key excitement, that feeling in the bottom of your stomach that something big is coming? That’s what it feels like right now
Being part of the clean energy revolution comes as a secondary bonus with his design role, but he still gets a kick out of GE’s annual internal reports, which details the hundreds of tonnes of planet-warming carbon saved by his team’s installations.
He likens the current buzz around heat pumps to the solar PV boom 15 years ago, but – Willis says – this time it’s different.
“You know that feeling of low-key excitement, that feeling in the bottom of your stomach that something big is coming? That’s what it feels like right now. The future is a whole home approach: solar tying into EV charger, storage and heat pump.” he thrills.
Sources: positive.news
