The new Daikin Sustainable Home Centre in Harrogate has been launched by heat pump manufacturer Daikin UK and Duftons Plumbing and Heating Supplies; the largest independent plumbing and heating merchant in Yorkshire.
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones visited the centre with Iain Bevan from Daikin UK alongside Daniel Thackray, Michael Rush and Luke Clarkson from Duftons to learn more about how it will help people across Yorkshire successfully transition to sustainable home heating.
The centre is a place for homeowners to familiarise themselves with air source heat pump technology and to sit down with an expert to discuss the best heating and cooling solutions for their home before they’re partnered with a trusted local installer.
After visiting Duftons Andrew said: “I like it when multi-national companies partner with local firms. This partnership between Duftons, a local plumbing and heating merchant, and Daikin UK, a global leader in renewable technology, is a great example of this and a welcome boost for our area.
“In tough times for our energy market it was great to learn more from the experts about the opportunities presented by heat pumps and renewable technologies. I strongly encourage anyone with an interest in making the switch to greener forms of heating to take advantage of this new centre and the wealth of information and advice on offer.
“Whether you’re a homeowner looking to save money on your fuel bills and ‘go green’, or a heating installer wanting to prepare for the future of low carbon heating, the Sustainable Home Centre in Harrogate is a valuable source of information and will accelerate Yorkshire’s sustainability drive.”
To help homeowners with the upfront costs of a heat pump the Government launched the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) in April 2022 to provide capital grants of £5,000 to support the installation of air source heat pumps, and £6,000 for ground source heat pumps, in homes and some non-domestic buildings across England and Wales.
Daikin UK’s network of installers can also offer customers a range of flexible finance options through its partnership with hiber.
Iain Bevan, Commercial Manager – Heating & Renewables at Daikin UK, added: “We’re delighted to have local MPs like Andrew sharing our vision for renewable forms of heating and to help us showcase the huge potential to reduce energy usage and bills in the home that heat pumps afford.
“Over its 15-year lifespan, an average-sized three-bedroom home with a demand of 12000 kWh, switching from a fossil fuel boiler to an air source heat pump can save homeowners more than £3,000 when compared to a gas boiler, more than £6,000 compared with oil and more than £9,000 compared to LPG.
“Being able to explore and discuss heat pump technology and the significant cost savings they offer in person is vital, as is knowing that it will be installed by a highly trained professional – and that’s what our Sustainable Home Centres are all about.
“With lifetime savings of between 24 and 37 tonnes of carbon*, switching from gas, oil or LPG to a heat pump can have a massive impact on the carbon footprint of your home and represents our best chance to make a significant contribution towards our national net-zero targets.”
As well as the centre in Harrogate providing an information hub for homeowners, Dufton’s other site on Wellington Road in Leeds will house a heat pump training centre to help the region’s plumbing and heating installers diversify into renewable heating solutions and ensure the long-term competitiveness of their businesses as fossil fuel boilers are phased out.
Daniel Thackray, Head of Sales at Duftons, commented: “We were really pleased to welcome our local MP to our Sustainable Home Centre for the day as he joins us on our journey to help the homes of Harrogate and beyond become more sustainable.
“At Duftons we offer expert advice in all areas of plumbing, heating and renewable energy solutions, and with Daikin’s market-leading domestic product range, there’s something for everyone to benefit from.”
To learn more about Duftons, check out its website.
For more information on Daikin UK visit https://www.daikin.co.uk.
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