A Swedish heat pump firm has opened its first Scottish hub in Stirling as it plans to become the market leader for the clean-tech home energy solution.
Aira is pledging to create 30 highly-skilled clean energy jobs in the local area, which it chose for its proximity to major cities across the central belt, and further north to Aberdeen.
The company, which has outlets in Yorkshire, the North West and South East, is on a mission to add whole of UK coverage to its operations – to keep up with soaring demand for heat pumps.
The substantial 14,494sq. ft Springkerse Industrial Estate facility will act as the central hub for serving Scottish customers.
In 2025, the company plans to open the first Scotland-based Aira Academy at the location, dedicated to delivering high-quality training for the Aira sales team, designers, installers, electricians and all those involved in heat pump installations, throughout Scotland.
The occasion was marked this week as local MSP Evelyn Tweed opened the new facility, with Nicola Mahmood, Aira’s head of region (Scotland).
Tweed 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.”
Mahmood said: “I’m delighted to welcome Evelyn to open Aira’s first hub in Scotland. Today marks a 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.”
The launch of the Scotland hub is part of Aira’s £300 million UK investment and commitment to hiring 8,000 new jobs over the next decade, as it plans to become Scotland’s heat pump market leader.
Aira launched in the UK in November 2023 and now has over 1,200 employees across Europe and has been dubbed a ‘soonicorn’ by Sifted, and the ‘Spotify of heat pumps’ by The Guardian.
It’s 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 Aira ahead of their investment in the region, 32 per cent – nearly 1.5 million Scots – are considering the installation of a heat pump to provide efficient, sustainable heating in the years to come.