Name: Denis Harley
Job title: Business Development Manager – Scotland
Personality: Critical thinker; solution-finder
Background: Social housing supply chain
Mission: To raise awareness of Ambion’s low-carbon heat panels in Scotland, highlighting Ambion’s benefits for tenants and social housing providers in reducing costs and energy consumption.
Plans: Grow Ambion in Scotland through strategic partnerships to create a holistic, full system approach to heating.
Professional interests: Tackling fuel poverty; advancing decarbonisation
Personal interests: Playing guitar, including at charity events; raising 17 bunnies
With an ambitious target to reach net zero by 2045, Scotland is on a mission to decarbonise its housing stock. This means transitioning away from fossil fuel-based heating systems like gas boilers, and towards more sustainable alternatives that tackle carbon emissions while reducing energy bills.
Social housing is playing a key role in this strategy. The Scottish Government has set a target for all social homes to reach an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band B by 2032. To support this, initiatives like the Social Housing Net Zero Standard are being developed, setting clear requirements for energy efficiency and low-carbon heating in social housing. However, in a sector where fuel poverty is a main concern, decarbonisation has to go hand in hand with a just transition.
Ambion’s low-carbon heating panels are already installed in a few social housing projects in Scotland, and have received positive feedback from tenants and housing providers alike. In this interview, Ambion Heating’s new Business Development Manager, Denis Harley, discusses how Ambion can further contribute to Scotland’s decarbonisation targets, and what his plans are to increase awareness of Ambion’s technology and expand its presence in the region.
Denis, you have a lot of expertise in the social housing supply chain and are passionate about tackling fuel poverty and accelerating net zero. What first attracted you to join Ambion, and how does the company align with your own values?
I’ve been working in the social housing supply chain for quite a few years now and I have been very aware of the financial constraints of local authorities and social housing providers. Making their budget go as far as possible has always been one of my primary objectives as a supplier.
I’ve worked quite closely not only with the decision-makers, but also the end users. So, you get to know who you’re actually making a difference to. I got to the point when I stepped away from social housing briefly and worked in the private sector. And I realised I missed social housing a lot. So I turned around my career very quickly and that’s when I met Ambion and thought that what they do really does resonate with me.
The biggest thing that attracted me to Ambion was the possibility to address fuel poverty, as well as promote a product that makes a difference to the environment.
How are you finding the culture at Ambion?
I love the attitude of everyone within the business. Their priority is very firmly on addressing decarbonisation in the housing sector. I also love the fact that they have a very firm focus on addressing fuel poverty. That enthusiasm just oozes out of everyone that I’ve spoken to. Everyone I’ve met was just lovely and so focused, passionate and determined within their particular remits.
How do you feel about Ambion’s products? How do you think it makes a difference for tenants and housing providers?
When I’m out there being the ambassador for the product, I know I’ve got a lot of support behind me. Often, it’s all about the financial side of it and how a company can reach its business targets. At Ambion, the focus is on the difference we can make in the housing market, and particularly in social housing.
You have many years of experience in the housing sector supply chain. How will you bring your expertise to Ambion and renew the focus on the Scottish region to address decarbonisation in Scotland’s social homes?
My strong suit has always been looking at a particular sector and understanding the route to market as quickly as possible, identifying who the key players are, as well as the competition.
So, my focus in the first few weeks has been understanding who’s out there talking about changing heating, looking at the demographics, as well as getting to know the whole region and local authority areas. I’m also looking at which type of properties are in each area, such as tower blocks and one or two-bedroom flats. I’m all about pulling this data together and working out a road map of where we should be targeting to achieve the highest positive impact on the Scottish housing sector.
In the short time you’ve spent at Ambion, you’ve already looked at strategic partnerships with other innovators in the housing sector. Are you aiming for a holistic approach to heating in social housing?
Yes, strategic partnerships with other innovators in the energy and housing sectors allow social housing providers to tick a lot of boxes when it comes to enhancing their EPC rating. Partnerships offer a fantastic opportunity for a social housing provider to have a very efficient heating system from Ambion. For example, Ambion can pair seamlessly with solar PV, smart water systems and battery storage for a future-proof solution. So, we are exploring partnerships that not only benefit Ambion, but our clients as well.
What are your professional goals within Ambion? What do you see yourself achieving?
Ambion already has a foothold in the Scottish social housing sector, so my biggest challenge will be expanding on that and growing awareness of our technology among key players. I want to get to the point that we are in the majority of social housing providers’ vocabulary when they consider alternative heating systems.
At the moment, installations of air source heat pumps in Scotland are rising considerably. But there are real challenges in installing heat pumps in social housing, and Ambion can be a valid alternative solution.
Also, I want people to realise that we’re not just an infrared panel manufacturer. Ambion has a different level of technology. You can get infrared panels for a relatively cheap price, but they won’t have Ambion’s control technology and so won’t offer the same benefits. Our technology is a game-changer, so my objective over the next few years is to raise awareness of that in the social housing sector, before targeting other sectors such as hospitality or student accommodations.
Ambion already has successful projects in Scotland. How do you plan on scaling up on that success?
Yes, Ambion already has three installations in tower blocks in Fife and the feedback is very positive. Given the success of these installations, we want to build on the relationship we’ve established with local authorities.
At the same time, we have a few potential pilot projects for social housing properties that need to be refurbished and upgraded. This is really exciting for us as it gives us yet another opportunity to prove the benefits of our technology for social housing providers and tenants alike.
Scotland is very proactive on decarbonisation, but do you see any particular challenges or opportunities for Ambion in the Scottish market?
The main challenge is for the sector to fully understand and embrace our technology for what it has proven to be. In simple terms, it’s an extremely positive environmental and cost-effective long-term solution for both landlords and for the physical and financial wellbeing of tenants.
The Scottish government is looking at supporting decarbonisation within social housing, and regional social landlords have access to grant funding, especially for retrofitting existing properties. But the caveat is that they have to use certain types of technologies, and air source heat systems are one of them. But if we look at the majority of social properties, many of them are simply not eligible for air source heat pumps.
At the moment, infrared panels or direct heating systems aren’t part of that focus, so I think we need to get this recognition as we can have such a positive impact on reducing the energy consumption of a property. That would be an absolute game-changer.
In the meantime, the challenge for me is to identify the social housing providers that have a very firm objective of meeting their decarbonisation targets, but also those who have a stock of houses where air source heat pump systems are not suitable.
A personal question to conclude: what do you do at the end of your working day? What is the thing that defines your ‘you’ time?
We currently have 17 rabbits living a free-roaming life. So that takes up a lot of our time in the evening. I seem to have this synergy with them…I’m the bunny master of the house!
I also have a musical background as a guitar player and recently got involved with an organisation that donates show proceedings to MacMillan Cancer. I now perform as a tenor and a dancer. It was like a baptism of fire for me to try and get my feet to coordinate!
The Ambion team wishes Denis the best of luck in his new role: we know how lucky we are to have you here!
Social housing providers interested in learning more about Ambion’s solutions are encouraged to contact Denis Harley at denis.harley@ambionheating.com.