In a quiet corner of Winnersh Triangle there’s a company leading a heating revolution to help the UK achieve its Net Zero targets.
tepeo, is a young clean tech business, only four and half years old, backed by venture capitalists looking to benefit from a slice of the £4 billion government funding to decarbonise heat and buildings.
Their product is the ZEB, Zero EmissionBoiler, which they’re looking to be ranked alongside heat pumps as a viable alternative to reducing one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the UK.
It’s not surprising then that sustainability is in tepeo’s DNA and at the core of its mission driven culture, with Net Zero ambitions.
“We want to create technologies to scale so we can move to a world where everyone can enjoy low cost, low carbon heating.” Says Johan du Plessis, director of the 40 strong business.
Employing a mix of data scientists, office engineers, assembly workers and customer service operators, their workforce is younger than the average company.
“Location is key for us to attract and retain talent.” Adds Johan. “And we’re growing fast.”
Last summer tepeo employed 20 people and by June of this year they hope to employ 60.
“Wokingham and Reading offer a strong talent pool and Winnersh was one of the few business parks to offer offices and manufacturing facilities.
“It’s not easy as a young company looking for headquarters. You don’t have a strong covenant, whilst you’re putting everything into investing for the future.
“The team at Winnersh took a view and saw the potential. Unlike other landlords they were willing to look at the bigger picture and keen to support our green agenda.”
Johan continued. “Creating a high-quality working environment with a focus on sustainability and wellbeing is essential for us. We have some remote software and technical teams, but the core business is in five days a week.
“As a small company we benefit from access to great amenities on the business park, which we wouldn’t afford to offer our own. And as you’d expect from a young tech company, we love the new park app – pip – and having all the park’s information at our fingertips.
“You will regularly see us joining in with the free bootcamp at the onsite gym, Move HQ, and playing five-a-side football on the Astro-turf pitch behind the wellness and fitness cabin, or going for a run around the meadows.
“In the summer we’re looking forward to joining in the community events on the green and meeting up with other occupiers. We’re always open to collaboration.
“We also like that Winnersh is willing to have conversations about upgrading the sustainability of our building through a rolling programme of initiatives on the business park as they work towards their own Net Zero Goals.”
Johan adds: “We’re certainly here for the long term as a location for our HQ and R&D facility.
“The ZEB can make a huge difference to one of the UK’s biggest challenges.
“I’ve got one in my own house. And with two young children it feels good to know I’m not contributing to the local air pollution problem.
“Our move to Winnersh is the first step towards scaling up and we’re excited for the future.
“Hopefully in another three to five years, ZEBs will be a part of a more sustainable future for everyone, and with our growth plans we’ll be expanding our premises on Winnersh Triangle to a much larger unit.”
