Every year since its formation, EcoVolt has re-invested in the development of new and exciting innovative products to add to their growing suite. Their latest product is again the brainchild of the company’s Managing Director, Stephen Dempsey.
Hitting the electrical wholesales this month, this innovative new product is called EV-Rad. It’s a new upgrade from their award-winning JTR range of ceramic electric radiators, explained Stephen.
“We have redeveloped the whole control panel of the JTR range to make it more user-friendly for the end-user, while bringing the IOT connectivity to the next level. We have managed to put all the functions of this radiator into one user-friendly push button, while also doubling the size of the LCD display compared to its predecessor.”
Stephen continued, “Some other cool functions we have included is the green and red back light of the LCD display screen. These are our company’s brand colours, which have been cleverly integrated into this product. When the radiator is using energy the LCD backlight will be red. However, when the radiator is not using energy, the LCD backlight is green to indicate it is in energy-saving mode.
“We have also included a kWh energy consumption counter on every model. This useful feature will indicate to the end-user how much energy it cost to heat their room or property during a certain period. It will also cause the user to react, to perhaps turn the thermostat down a degree or two to save on energy and money.
“We have so many other features built into this product, like open window detection, remote child locking, family and friend invite groups and voice activation with several of the main players in this technology like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.”
nZEB showroom
As we moved around the company’s premises we toured the purpose-built nZEB showroom. The room was designed by Stephen and built in-house, under his watch.
“As a passive house designer, I was delighted to bring my skills to this project and to showcase most of our products in it. It is what we have always worked very hard for. We are running this showroom on 100% green energy from solar panels and battery storage,” explained Stephen.
“Everything in here is powered from electricity,” as he points out their Carbon Electric Paint product or CeP, as its is commonly known. “This is the most exciting product I have ever developed, and probably well before its time, but it is one that is going to disrupt the industry in Ireland and the UK,” he explained.
What Stephen pointed at was a tiled wall but on closer inspection you can feel the radiant heat coming from the wall. A very clever and unique product, it took our cameraman totally by surprise.
“CeP is a carbon graphite conductive coating that we use special techniques to turn a fire-rated plasterboard into a 24V radiant heating panel;” said Stephen. “We manufacture the product in this building and deliver it to clients all over Ireland, and to some large clients in the UK.”
What starts off as a fire-rated plasterboard turns into a 350W 24V radiant heating plasterboard that can be completely plastered over and painted any colour of choice. “This product is for high performance buildings like nZEB or a passive house,” Stephen said, “The simplicity of this product is unrivalled, as there is nothing else close to it on the market. Not surprisingly, it’s getting a lot of attention.”
Forward looking and future planning
When you take a tour around the EcoVolt building it is clear that this company has a vision for the future and everything is in place to ensure the business runs smoothly and efficiently.
There is an in-house engineering department where a team of Sustainable Energy Engineers work on CAD drawings along with Senior Electrical Engineers to oversee designs. A bustling sales office is full of dynamic sales personnel going about their daily work of selling and promoting the company’s suite of products.
Below them is the exclusive nZEB showroom that is only open for clients to visit. This showroom actually feels like you are outside with a lovely ambient 20°C of fresh air around you. The warehouse comprises 8,000sqft of itemised racking with a mezzanine area for the production of the CeP products.
Below the mezzanine area is the assembly area for the assembly of power transformers and other products required for projects. Next to that is the service area where all parts for their range of ceramic radiators are kept and are on-hand for quick turnaround of repairs. A large boardroom is located next to the Managing Director’s room where weekly meetings and training seminars take place.
The company welcomes all consultants, developers and self-builders to come and visit them to touch and feel their products and discover how they can get their projects fully compliant with the 2019 Part L and Part F regulations.
“We have the complete suite for heating, hot water, ventilation, solar PV and battery storage,” Stephen said. “I am in the middle of my latest product design that will be ready for 2022. I am probably going to upset a lot of my competitors in the marketplace when I do release it, but that’s competition for you.”
For more information visit, www.ecovolt.ie, or call: +353 (0)1 5240387.
