Tiverton & Honiton MP to open new Daikin sustainable home centre

A brand new, state-of-the-art heat pump showroom and training centre will open its doors in Honiton this week (11th April) to educate homeowners in the region on the benefits of sustainable, low carbon, home heating, and support anyone considering the transition. 

Daikin, the UK’s leading heat pump manufacturer continues to grow its Sustainable Home Network to provide training facilities to upskill heating engineers as the nation transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy. This will be Daikin’s fifth Sustainable Home Centre launch in 2024 as the transition to renewables and heat pumps accelerates the growth of its network and further builds on the success of 2023. 

The new Daikin Sustainable Home Centre, located on Station Approach, Honiton, is being launched by Bradfords, a family-run, independent builder’s merchants who have been supplying quality building materials to local tradesman and residents across Devon for over 250 years. 

The official launch event runs from 8am-3pm on Thursday 11th April and is open to all, from homeowners to trade professionals such as housebuilders, merchants and heating installers. 

Local MP for Honiton and Tiverton, Richard Foord will be attending on the day to mark the opening. He will be joined by representatives from Bradfords and will cut the ribbon at 12pm to officially open the centre.  

Visitors will be able to meet experts from Bradfords, along with Daikin UK, and experience all of Daikin’s latest heat pump technology. Daikin will also be carrying out presentations of Daikin products and its green industry installer training. 

As well as providing a hub for homeowners to learn about renewable heating and for installers to bring their customers, the Daikin Sustainable Home Centre will house a heat pump training centre. This will help 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.   

Complimentary tea and coffee will be available throughout the day with hot food also provided from opening until close.    

Luke Smith, Trading Director P&H at Bradfords, commented: “Opening this new Sustainable Home Centre is a fantastic milestone for our business and the local community. It will be a place for homeowners, developers and installers to familiarise themselves with air-source heat pump technology and to speak to an expert to discuss the most suitable heating and cooling solutions.

“This is our first renewables showroom that  will support our focus to move away from fossil fuels, over to a more sustainable heating solution for all our customers. We’re also excited to be able to offer quality installer training on the latest Daikin air source technology. We are looking forward to seeing lots of friendly faces on the big day, and we are excited to have local MP, Richard Foord join us to celebrate this next step in our journey to help our community become more sustainable. 

“With our local expert advice in all areas of plumbing and heating, and Daikin’s market-leading product range, there will be something for everyone, both at the launch event and in the future.” 

Iain Bevan, Commercial Manager - Heating & Renewables at Daikin UK, added:“Heat pumps have huge potential to reduce energy usage and bills in the home. Over its 15-year lifespan*, 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 £6000 compared with oil and more than £9,000 compared to LPG.  

“Our research has uncovered that 68% of homeowners are not aware that heat pumps are significantly more energy efficient than gas boilers. Gas boilers operate at 70-90% efficiency compared to 300-400% for heat pumps. It’s clear there’s work to do to educate homeowners on heat pump technology, and Sustainable Home Centres like Bradfords are the perfect place to do it. 

“With extensive funding available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which has been boosted to £7,500, now is a fantastic time for homeowners to make green energy efficiency improvements.”

To register your attendance, please email shc.honiton@bradfords.co.uk and to learn more about Bradfords, check out its website.  

For more information on Daikin, visit https://www.daikin.co.uk.