The company was already a successful name in renewable heating in Ireland before it launched in the UK in 2021 at impressive premises in Exeter.
In this short time, Unitherm has already become the largest operating distributor for LG heat pumps in the UK and Ireland and has established itself as a supplier of a leading bespoke UFH system used by several sizeable new home builders in the UK.
Despite being based in the southwest, Unitherm has quickly become a national company, with more than fifty per cent of its sales in the north of the UK and Scotland.
In its first two years, it has sold thousands of air source heat pumps for new build developments and retrofit installations, highlighting the size of the market and its market share achieved in such a short time frame.
Plans to open a training centre by 2024
It has eleven full-time staff and offers a total technical support service for LG air-to-water heat pumps, and is a primary source of training for installers looking to install LG’s range of heat pumps. The company already has a warehouse in the north of the country and plans to open offices and a training centre in the north by the end of 2024.
Unitherm had already grown into a well-respected leader in renewable heating systems in Ireland, where air-source heat pumps had taken off in a big way, similar to their popularity in mainland Europe. With the UK Government’s plans for renewable heating – a target to install 600,000 heat pumps by 2028 – the timing seemed right for Unitherm to move into the UK marketplace, and its success to date points towards that being a good decision.
Unitherm offers a complete support package to include LCL-accredited training courses and manufacturers’ training courses in their state-of-the-art training centre, MCS Design for the non-MCS installer and full after-sales technical support.
Exciting times ahead
Managing director Andy Hooper had extensive experience in the UK heat pump marketplace from his time with Hitachi and LG: “These continue to be exciting times for renewable heating in the UK, and the opportunity to take the lead in introducing a total package approach that is still new to this industry was too good to miss.
“We bring a level of expertise in system design and installation unrivalled in the UK and provide a high level of support pre and post-installation.
“It is our role to train people, so they are 100% prepared and competent to install heat pumps properly.
“We operate from ideal premises for our first step into the UK marketplace, on Sowton Industrial Estate in Exeter. They provide impressive, modern offices, a sizeable warehouse, and a purpose-designed centre of training excellence on the first floor that has allowed us to begin training installers to take advantage of this huge heat pump revolution.”