A question we are often asked is why T H WHITE has grouped Energy, Fire and Security into one Division. Well, the answer is neatly articulated in the Division’s purpose: ‘Helping customers make buildings safer, greener and more efficient for generations.’
Massively increased awareness of the requirement to protect staff, their livelihoods and their working environments – and to do so in a way that is sustainable and efficient – is leading facilities managers and building developers to seek comprehensive and easily managed solutions. In response to this need, T H WHITE’s business is constantly evolving to meet market needs and today provides service contracts covering fire and security systems for facilities management (FM) providers and facilities managers, estate managers and commercial property owners. We now support major FM clients including two local authorities, two police forces and two fire services.
We also have specialists in the newer areas of solar power, electric vehicle charging and battery storage, as well as engineers experienced in the application of the latest technologies to fire and security, as well as the growing important area of CCTV surveillance.
It’s a logical grouping, especially as the key disciplines embraced by the Division involve electrical installations. Supporting that, the Division also supplies and maintains portable fire extinguishers, access systems and security gates and barriers.
The public-facing team which takes pride in looking at every challenge in an individual way and proposing bespoke solutions is led by head of sales Carl Clarke who works with regional representatives Luke Roche and Barry Hemmings.
“As you might imagine, there was a surge is solar energy installations when the government incentives were strong,” says Carl. “Many of our customers have benefited enormously from being able to generate much of the electricity they use as well as receiving payments for feeding energy to the national grid – schemes which will continue for years to come.
“That in itself has brought new challenges as solar panels need to be cleaned regularly and maintained to ensure maximum efficiency. In this respect we have been able to help many solar panel users whose original installers have ceased trading. That’s a real advantage of using a broadlybased company like T H WHITE that has strength and longevity – in fact we have been trading since 1832!
“Despite the reduction of many of the incentives, solar energy installations remain popular but the economics just have to be approached in a different way. Many businesses are able to generate a large proportion of the energy they use, and where there is a surplus we help with high-tech battery installations that can store energy for use at times when the solar panels may not be generating. The latest batteries also make it possible for users to draw energy at times of lower cost – during the night for example – and store it for use at peak times.”
Newest recruit to T H WHITE’s EF&S team is Luke Roche who joined last September. Coming from a background in alarms and security Luke is area sales manager for the South West/Central territory comprising Gloucestershire, Somerset and Oxfordshire.
“Changes to legislation mean that businesses have to carry out more regular fire assessments,” says Luke, “and customers are seeing the benefits of using a single company for fire protection and security. When they discover that T H WHITE has the capability to do so much more for them – including assessments and maintenance – the realise they can fulfil their obligations more easily.”
Barry Hemmings serves clients mainly in areas south of the M4, covering Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset and parts of the West Country. Having been in the industry for over 20 years, he started as an engineer which has given him an understanding of the complexities involved in certain installations.
“At the moment,” Barry observes, “the big growth areas are security and CCTV surveillance systems, but the huge advances in electric vehicle technology mean that vehicle charging systems are rapidly becoming a major part of our business too. More and more we are helping customers to take a holistic view of their infrastructure requirements to provide solutions that are cost-effective and efficient.”
If you would like to find out how the T H WHITE EF&S team can help you, call them direct on these numbers:
Carl Clarke: 07825 960425
Luke Roche: 07833 480212
Barry Hemmings: 07795 503228
