A WIRRAL couple’s energy-saving gadget is on the verge of a national roll-out, making the perfect gift for their wedding this Saturday.

David Furlong and Lisa Thomson, who run Mole Engineering, in Upton, have worked for three years and invested £200,000 on their CombiSave device, which saves water and fuel costs on conventional combination boilers.

Current technology means it can take up to a minute for a conventional combi-boiler to heat water, wasting water and gas.

But the CombiSave valve can significantly reduce waiting time, and tests at the University of Salford’s Energy House laboratory have found that it can save 55,000 litres of water a year – worth £140 for anyone on a water meter – and cut gas bills by between £50 to £100 a year.

One of the UK’s major energy companies has recently bought 700 CombiSave valves to install at locations across London, and is also in talks over orders for more than 100,000 more CombiSave valves to be installed throughout the country.

The couple say their device also has great potential for the expanding housing associations sector throughout the UK.

Mr Furlong said: “We’d heard from many, many people with combi-boilers of their frustration at the time it was taking for water to run hot.

“In addition to the sight of water being wasted, they were also concerned, for example, that children were even less likely to wash their hands in the bathroom if they had to wait so long for hot water.”

As part of the trials, more than 200 CombiSave valves were fitted for customers across the region who were offered a full refund and removal of the gadget if they found they were not making savings – no-one took up the offer and all the devices are still in place.

This week, the annual Retrofit Conference is being held by the University of Salford, at the Lowry, in Salford Quays, bringing together international academics, businesses and policy- makers in the fields of energy, construction and the environment to share and consider current and emerging research, questions and findings. As part of the conference, tests carried out at the university’s Energy House will be showcased.

Prof Nigel Mellors, from the university, said: “The Energy Hub at Salford has been established for projects exactly like this.

“With our Energy House facility and academic expertise, we’re able to work with new and established businesses to provide robust data and support.

“It’s great to see the success CombiSave has had, and we look forward to working with Mole Engineering again.”