Scots can see heat pumps first hand in new showroom as Swedish firm creates 30 jobs at hub

A Swedish heat pump specialist has taken the wraps off a new Scottish hub that includes a public showroom, creating 30 “clean energy” jobs with the potential for hundreds more.

Aira said the facility at Springkerse Industrial Estate in Stirling would act as the central hub for serving Scottish customers. The official opening of the 14,500-square-foot site comes ahead of plans next year to open the first Scotland-based Aira Academy, dedicated to delivering training for the company’s sales team, designers, installers, electricians and all those involved in heat pump installations, throughout the country.

Bosses said Stirling stood out as a prime location for the business due to the city’s “excellent position” at the heart of the Central Belt and connections to Aberdeen and Angus, as well as down to the Scottish Borders.

Evelyn Tweed MSP with the Aira Stirling team. Picture: Aira

Aira, which was founded in Sweden, has been working closely with Scottish Enterprise to help launch its first hub and open a training centre in the new year. The Stirling facility also includes a showroom, allowing customers to “walk in off the street” and experience a heat pump first-hand.

According to market research commissioned by the firm, 32 per cent of Scots are considering the installation of a heat pump in the coming years. They are already the number one home energy solution in Scandinavian countries such as Sweden. The Scottish Government has set a national target of installing 200,000 heat pumps per year by the end of the decade.

Aira’s new Scotland base will be led by Nicola Mahmood, a “sustainability and net zero transition leader” who has 25 years’ experience of working in the Scottish energy sector.

She said: “Today marks an historic milestone in the company’s continued expansion throughout Europe, as we continue our mission to take Europe off gas. The Stirling hub will also become a centre of excellence for Aira in Scotland, where we will train the next generation of heat pump installers and provide green skills training to the local community. It’s encouraging to see increasing consumer demand, but we need to unlock essential barriers to grant and loan access to truly accelerate adoption across Scotland.”

Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, said: “Aira is one of Europe’s fastest growing clean energy-tech companies, and it’s great to see that they have chosen Stirling as the base for their Scottish operations. This will mean dozens of new jobs for the local community today - potentially hundreds as the business grows - and an exciting career ahead for the next generation of heat pump installers.

“The Scottish Government has an ambitious target to convert thousands of homes from fossil fuel heating to cleaner alternatives such as air source heat pumps. If we achieve that goal, we will not only help to make energy more affordable and secure for all Scots but become one of the most energy efficient countries anywhere in the world. Many people living in rural areas are not on mains gas and pay a great deal for alternative sources of energy, so a greener, cheaper alternative is welcome.”