Rachel Smith has been appointed as general manager of Polypipe Underfloor Heating, heading a new senior management team and supported by Andrew Coy in the role of commercial proposition director.

The UK underfloor heating market represents one of the fastest growing areas in the domestic heating sector, set to be valued at £160 million by 2020. Developments in technology, and a greater understanding amongst consumers of the available systems and benefits, have made underfloor heating one of the most wanted features for house-hunters.

Polypipe has long been at the forefront of innovation in the UK underfloor heating market, and the new management team will be driving forward product developments, next generation software for smart home technology, and next-level customer service for consumers and trade alike.

In the past six months, Polypipe has brought new innovations to market including the Single Zone Electric Boiler, which powers underfloor heating independently in small spaces, and an Auto-Balancing Manifold featuring built in technology to manage the balancing and flow and return rates of an underfloor heating system. Developments for the second half of 2018 will focus on software updates for Polypipe’s Smart Plus controls range to meet the growing demand for integration with smart home systems.

Earlier in 2018, Polypipe restructured its Registered Heating Engineer Network, waiving the membership fee to encourage more plumbers and heating engineers to benefit from the BPEC accredited training courses and access to priority support from Polypipe’s marketing, technical and design teams. All of this will give installers the skills and confidence to add underfloor heating to their service offering and grow their own businesses using this margin rich revenue stream. 

Ms Smith said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue to develop the great work our UFH team has been doing for many years. It is a challenge I am thrilled to accept.

“At Polypipe, we’re committed to creating solutions suitable for all types of projects and to providing the homeowner with an efficient and effective system that delivers true warmth in their home. As the housing industry moves increasingly towards more adaptable, open-plan living spaces, underfloor heating is becoming the go-to solution and we are constantly developing products that meet these demands.

“I look forward to working with the new senior management team to build on our successful track record.”