Ideal Heating honoured with King’s Award for Enterprise as it leads industry transformation

Hull-based Ideal Heating has received the UK’s most prestigious business honour in recognition of its pioneering approach to industry transformation.

The company has been named a recipient of The King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category, recognising Ideal’s comprehensive, end-to-end heat pump delivery package that is reshaping how the UK adopts low carbon heating technology. 

It’s Ideal’s fourth King’s/Queen’s Award, having previously received three Queen’s Awards – for Innovation in 2013, and for both Innovation and International Trade in 2019 – underlining its status as one of the UK’s most forward-thinking and successful manufacturers. 

Ideal Heating is the UK’s heating industry market leader. It is part of Groupe Atlantic UK and Republic of Ireland, which employs around 1,500 people in the UK, with 800 at Ideal Heating’s headquarters site in Hull. 

CEO Adam Foy said: “Receiving The King’s Award for Enterprise is a great honour and an incredibly proud moment for us. 

“As a major UK manufacturer with a proud history and heritage, we’re delighted to receive this royal recognition for how we’re shaping the transition to heat pumps across the UK.

“The King’s Award reflects the scale of ambition and commitment our team has shown in transforming not just our own business, but in leading the evolution of the wider UK heating industry.”

When the UK Government legislated net zero greenhouse gas emissions targets in 2019, Ideal Heating recognised that its entire business model required revolutionary change. Ideal conceived and built an entirely new delivery infrastructure, addressing every barrier to heat pump adoption in a single, integrated solution. 

This includes the UK’s largest heat pump training network, including a flagship £2.2m National Training and Technology Centre at Bridgehead business park in Hessle, East Yorkshire, and the UK’s first government-recognised and funded Skills Bootcamp programme, which has enabled thousands of installers to train free of charge. 

Underpinning it all is a £60m programme of investment in new manufacturing, distribution and research and development facilities across Ideal Heating’s headquarters site in Hull, as the business transitions towards low carbon heating solutions. 

New facilities include a state-of-the-art UK Technology Centre, giving Ideal Heating the world-class R&D capability to develop, test and refine the next generation of heating products.

Andrew Johnson, Training and Design Services Director, added: “We identified early on that the market required a whole package to give installers the skills and confidence to succeed, and give consumers the reliability and support they expect. 

“That’s exactly what we’ve built and this award is a great validation of that vision.”

The King’s Awards for Enterprise has honoured more than 8,000 companies since its inception in 1965. Winners hold the award for five years and pass a robust assessment process judged by experts from industry, academia, the voluntary sector and senior Whitehall officials. Recipients are recommended by the Prime Minister and approved by His Majesty The King. 

Jim Dick OBE, the Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire, said:  “I am delighted to congratulate Ideal Heating, based in Hull, on receiving The King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category. 

“This latest honour, following the company’s success in winning the award on three previous occasions, in 2013 and twice in 2019, recognises Ideal Heating’s continued commitment to innovation, excellence and growth. 

“It reflects the strength of Hull as a centre for forward-thinking manufacturing. Ideal Heating’s sustained success is richly deserved and is something of which the whole region can be proud.”