He brings 20 years’ engineering and technical sales experience to the role having previously worked as a refrigeration and air conditioning engineer with detailed involvement in chillers, controls, process cooling and heating before specialising in ground and air source heat pumps.

Mr Cooper is F-Gas qualified and was previously a director of Heat Pump Repairs Ltd and business development manager at Daikin Applied Service. He has considerable ‘hands-on’ experience of heat pump technology having worked on a wide range of projects including the largest UK installation to date; a major ground source system in Paris and one in London’s Hyde Park.

He has installed, commissioned, serviced and repaired heat pumps – as well as sold them.

His appointment is the next stage in Lochinvar’s strategy to expand its heat pump sales following the launch of its ‘Operation Heat Pumps’ project in 2018. This has so far included an ambitious programme to extend its product range with the introduction of higher output models and a new range of water-to-water heat pumps.

The company also restructured its product management and technical teams to include new dedicated heat pump roles, which allows it to provide pre-installation visits with each heat pump order as well as phone and email support. This led to Lochinvar’s best ever year for heat pump sales in 2019, but it expects to see the release of even more pent up demand for the technology in the aftermath of the current COVID-19 crisis.

“This is a very exciting time to be involved in heat pump technology,” said Mr Cooper. “It is regarded as a key technology for transitioning to low carbon heating and cooling – not just in the UK, but worldwide.

“I am delighted to be joining Lochinvar at this pivotal time for the industry, particularly as the company has already invested considerable time, money and effort in expanding its heat pump ranges and expertise.”