Certa acquires AEI in bid to become greener

23 May 2023

From left: Certa Ireland MD Andrew Graham and Alternative Energy Ireland founder and MD Steven Bray. Image: Sean Brosnan/Brosnan Photography

Certa said the deal will help reduce its own carbon emissions and help customers transition to renewable energy alternatives.

Fuel supplier Certa has acquired renewable energy specialists Alternative Energy Ireland (AEI) for an undisclosed amount.

Certa – a subsidiary of DCC – said the deal will help its customers transition to renewable energy options, reduce their carbon emissions and lower their energy costs.

AEI has been in operation since 2007 and has supported thousands of homes and businesses to become more sustainable. The Dublin-based company designs and installs renewable energy systems such as electricity-generating solar panels, heat recovery ventilation systems and home heat pumps.

The company has various commercial clients including Adare Manor, Woodies, Chadwicks and Stormont Castle. AEI founder and MD Steven Bray said Certa and the wider DCC group has a “progressive vision for energy”.

“There is a growing demand for renewable energy solutions that help customers to lower their carbon footprint, to become more sustainable and to save money,” Bray said.

“Our combined expertise and ambition empowers these customers to make changes that benefit their businesses, homes and the environment.”

Certa has transitioned its fleet of 100 delivery vehicles from diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), to reduce the fleet’s carbon emissions by up to 90pc.

The Laois-based company plans to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 and said the AEI deal will support its own energy transition programme. Certa plans to install solar panels across its forecourts to help them generate their own power.

The fuel supplier has also begun the rollout of HVO as a domestic product. Certa claims it installed Ireland’s first HVO pump at one of its Cork forecourts and plans to install more HVO pumps this year.

Certa Ireland MD Andrew Graham said the company is delighted to acquire “such an established and progressive business” as AEI.

“They share our passion for delivering innovative new products and solutions that allow businesses and households to decarbonise and to make greener choices to reduce their energy consumption and energy costs,” Graham said.

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Leigh Mc Gowran is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com