Ideal invests £10m in heat pump R&D centre
3rd April 2023
UK: Ideal Heating has submitted plans for a new £10m R&D facility for low carbon heating solutions, such as air source heat pumps, at its UK headquarters in Hull.
Supported by parent company Groupe Atlantic, the proposed facility is part of a wider £60m investment programme across the Hull site to increase manufacturing and distribution capacity and accommodate heat pump production and warehousing.
A detailed planning application for the UK Technology Centre has been submitted to Hull City Council. Dependent on planning approval, construction is expected to begin this autumn, with the facility due to open in mid-2024.
Laboratory facilities within the 3,500m2, two-storey building will enable Ideal Heating’s R&D team to simulate a range of scenarios and conditions to test new innovations and advancements.
Among other facilities, the new R&D centre will house test equipment and environmental chambers, simulating the range and extremes of climatic conditions to develop heat pumps for future manufacture at Ideal Heating’s Hull factory.
These facilities can also be used to stress-test components and products, simulating lifespan in the space of just a few months.
The new R&D centre will also include chambers to verify noise and vibration levels and extreme condition testing.
Ideal Heating is also investing in a new National Training & Technology Centre at Bridgehead business park in East Yorkshire, with a focus on low-carbon heating and up-skilling thousands of boiler installers across the UK to supply heat pumps to customers.
