A Sweden-based renewables company, Varga, has just launched a residential clean-energy service based around heat pumps in Italy. Called Aira, it is billed as a turnkey subscription solution for homeowners wanting to install renewable energy systems. Aira will provide all the planning, installation, maintenance as well as the use of government grants. The company is currently running a trial in Italy and is expecting to launch later this year in Germany and the UK – where just one per cent of homes are equipped with heat pumps and government schemes to increase adoption have so far had little success. The company says it plans to serve five million homes across Europe within 10 years.
“Aira makes it easy for consumers to decarbonise their homes with a complete home energy system with a highly efficient and intelligent heat pump at the heart. Aira offers an affordable fixed monthly fee, with significant energy bill savings compared to current solutions, including gas boilers and other fossil-based alternatives,” says the company statement.
Heat pumps’ high efficiency rates and ability to dramatically reduce domestic emissions have made them the core technology for Aira. The company also has ambitious plans to offer many more green home solutions, including battery storage, dynamic electricity tariffs and solar panels. Aira said this integrated energy ecosystem will be managed by the company’s digital platform and could reduce energy bills by up to fifty per cent.
The company’s 2030 ambition is to be active in more than 20 countries, employing over 10,000 clean energy experts and technicians across Europe. Aira has also recently acquired a former Volvo factory in Wroclaw, Poland, which it is refitting to begin production of heat pumps from 2024. Their plan is to transform residential heating with heat pumps and other renewable systems, and reduce both energy bills and emissions.