Baxi, part of the BDR Thermea Group, has hosted the first official visit to its €13m commercial heat pump R&D and laboratory site in Vilafranca del Penedès, Spain.
The 7,000m² Baxi factory, which opened last year, is focused on developing and producing commercial heat pump technology. According to Baxi, the site has complete in-house capabilities spanning R&D, logistics, manufacturing and assembly, and including climatic testing chambers and a controls desk.
During the visit, guests were provided with an exclusive preview of the new Remeha Effenca commercial heat pump series that was designed and produced at Vilafranca and is currently undergoing final testing. The new range, which includes high temperature R290 refrigerant air source heat pumps (ASHPs), will launch imminently in the UK with full Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), the company has said.
Harriet Evans, renewables director at Baxi, said: “The focus on low carbon design is now critical in line with ambitious government decarbonisation targets. Heat pumps, which decarbonise heating at the point of use, are a big part of how we as a company are supporting our commercial and residential customers through the energy transition.
“We are proud to demonstrate our full in-house capabilities and competencies at Vilafranca, and of the wide expertise and support we have within Group in this technology. We are excited to be expanding our Remeha ASHP range in the very near future with both medium and high temperature ASHPs – watch this space!”
Heat pump production capacity at Vilafranca has scaled up by 50% in the last twelve months, with plans to triple in the next five years via new commercial heat pump solutions in development.