Although it’s been around since 2008, heating solutions provider DiscreteHeat is experiencing something of a second coming thanks to the ramping up of heat pumps as a low carbon heating solution.
Now finding itself positioned at the right place at the right time, the business is taking off on an unprecedented scale and has therefore brought in a well-known industry figure to help lead the charge.
Former Baxi CEO David Pinder has joined DiscreteHeat as a non-executive chairman and will be bringing his years of knowledge and experience to help successfully manage and finance the business through this period of growth.
DiscreteHeat is home to ThermaSkirt, an energy efficient radiant heating system, cleverly designed to look like a traditional skirting board. It can work with existing heating systems, whether that’s a gas boiler, heat pump or electric heating, and can be controlled just like conventional radiators, using existing thermostats and timers or smart controls.
Founder Martin Wadsworth took the concept to Dragons Den in 2008, and despite being turned down by the investors, it has gone on to win numerous product awards in the years since.
So why the sudden growth?
We caught up with David to talk about his appointment, why DiscreteHeat is suddenly taking off and his general views on the renewable energy transition.
What’s happening with ThermaSkirt at the moment?
DiscreteHeat has been around for a number of years, developing and honing its unique system and is well proven. ThermaSkirt has always achieved a steady level of sales, mainly for aesthetic reasons and in setting such as the NHS and care homes, because it’s much easier to clean than radiators.
But the real change now is because of the relationship between ThermaSkirt and heat pumps. With the move towards heat pumps, which work more effectively by heating the system water to 40-45 degrees rather than 60 with gas boilers, a bigger radiator would be needed to heat the space. However, people are often reluctant to have bigger radiators, or they don’t want to take their existing ones out due to the cost and disruption.
ThermaSkirt answers those issues and has therefore really come into its own. People can keep their existing radiators and supplement them with ThermaSkirt, or take out the radiators and just have ThermaSkirt.
DiscreteHeat is experiencing something of a second coming now. The rise in low temperature heating systems has been a bit of a serendipity and they are now seeing growth that is off the scale. It’s also a great partner to underfloor heating because it’s much easier to install upstairs, as well as offering an alternative to underfloor heating altogether.
What will your role as non- executive chairman entail?
I have experience of working in larger corporations and the governance aspect of that. I’ve also worked with start-ups before and helped secure funding. I did this with Mixergy, which I am still involved with as executive chair.
DiscreteHeat needs to raise funding to support this steep growth and that’s what I’ll be focusing on, along with the various other challenges that arise from scaling a business.
Tell us about your career to date
I started as a graduate trainee at Pilkington glass manufacturing company, straight from university. I’ve always had a sales, marketing and strategy focus rather than technical, but with an emphasis on making that connection between technology and the benefits it brings to customers.
I moved up through the ranks at Pilkington to managing director, overseeing the UK and southern Europe operations. One of the developments at the time was their self-cleaning glass and I often found myself promoting this on the TV.
I left there in 2012 to join Baxi as CEO of their UK and Irish businesses. In the later years of my time with Baxi, the focus was on the energy transition and how we would be able to deliver that to our customer base; how we’d gradually move away from boilers to heat pumps.
There was a big challenge in how we would take our customers on that journey. I became really interested in renewables. I am chair of the Green Construction Board, which advises government on the approaches needed to deliver zero carbon, zero waste, biodiversity and environmental net gain in the built environment. One of the projects we are working on, for example, is exploring how we can decarbonise concrete.
I also helped set up the National Retrofit Hub. I eventually decided that I wanted to do more of this sort of work and less of the day-to-day tasks that being a CEO involves, so I decided to explore other avenues.
How did you come to be involved with DiscreteHeat?
I was a perfect fit because of my background, and also the work I’ve done with Mixergy. The other quirky side is that I went to school with Martin Wadsworth. We met at a school reunion a while back and realised we were both working in the same industry. We stayed in touch after that and it made sense for me to join them at this time.
What drives you in your work in the renewable energy sector?
I want to deliver a fair transition. A low carbon home shouldn’t just be for those who can afford it, and when people do make that switch, their bills have to go down, not up.
The fact that gas is four times cheaper than electricity means bills with a heat pump are probably only on a par with a gas boiler. So there are real concerns about people in fuel poverty or social housing if they don’t have a heat pump that’s installed properly, or the fabric isn’t done first. They could end up in a situation where their bills go up instead of down and a home that isn’t comfortable. We need to make the transition happen equitably, so that people aren’t worse off. Countries which have been most successful in the transition are where the price gap between electricity and gas is smaller, but I don’t think much progress is really being made on the price of electricity.
What do you think needs to happen to overcome some of the barriers to transition?
We need to be looking at the best solution for the individual and for the grid. Too often government looks at the home and the grid in isolation, but we need to decarbonise the grid as well as heat – one without the other won’t work.
Storage will play an increasingly important role and having this connected to the grid to manage the peaks and troughs.
We also need more certainty from government. Industry is quite good at gearing up if we know the opportunity is there and isn’t going to be removed, i.e. in the form of subsidies that are suddenly taken away. We need a clear line of sight as to what the targets are, how we get there and what government support there will be, without the goalposts being moved.
At least the Future Homes Standard offers some certainty around new builds, and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is also a good scheme. The real policy gap is around the owner occupier. That’s why we set up the National Retrofit Hub. We need a national infrastructure programme, and we need more education around this.
A final word about how the future’s looking for DiscreteHeat?…
For DiscreteHeat it’s all about growth. We’re starting to get some traction with new builds and local authorities. ThermaSkirt has really come of age and we’re all really excited about growing the customer base and the installer base.
Thank you, David.
We bet those Dragons are regretting letting this one get away!
Image credit: DiscreteHeat
