AIRA, the clean energy-tech specialist, has officially opened a new hub in Stirling, central Scotland, initially creating 30 highly skilled clean energy jobs in the local area.
The substantial 14,494sq. ft Springkerse Industrial Estate facility will act as the central hub for serving Scottish customers. In 2025, the company plans to open the first Scotland-based Aira Academy at the location, dedicated to delivering high-quality training for the Aira sales team, designers, installers, electricians and all those involved in heat pump installations, throughout Scotland.
Stirling stood out as a prime location for Aira due to its excellent position at the heart of the central belt and connections to Aberdeen and Angus, as well as down to the Scottish Borders. It has good access to all the major highways, allowing the company to serve the vast majority of mainland Scotland from one place.
Aira, which was founded in Sweden, has been working closely with Scottish Enterprise to help launch its first hub and open a training centre in the new year. The Stirling facility also includes a showroom, allowing customers to ‘walk in off the street’ and experience a heat pump first-hand.
According to market research commissioned by Aira ahead of their investment in the region, 32% – nearly 1.5 million Scots – are considering the installation of a heat pump to provide efficient, sustainable heating in the years to come. This shows that consumer interest in alternative home energy heating solutions, such as heat pumps, is rapidly growing across the country.
Heat pumps are already the number one home energy solution in Scandinavian countries, such as Sweden, which is known for its harsh winters. The technology provides reliable, clean energy for homes while reducing CO2 emissions and home heating bills in the process. The Aira Heat Pump comes with zero upfront costs and a 15-year Aira Comfort Guarantee, offering customers complete peace of mind. The clean energy leader has also launched two new energy tariffs for its customers, allowing them to enjoy annual savings of £500 with the Aira Heat Pump and the Aira Zero tariff on average, and up to £1245 when combined with solar panels with Aira Solar Export, compared to people who still depend on gas boilers.
The Scottish Government has set a national target of installing 200,000 heat pumps per year by the end of the decade (1). In 2022, the government launched The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme to help Scottish households replace their gas or oil boiler with a new heat pump. They are also working on the Heat in Buildings Bill which is expected to support households and communities with reducing their emissions.
Aira’s new Scotland base will be led by Nicola Mahmood, a Sustainability and Net Zero Transition leader who has 25 years’ experience of working in the Scottish energy sector. Nicola says that she joined Aira to be a frontrunner in the country’s transition to lower carbon and lower cost heating.
Nicola Mahmood, Head of Region (Scotland), Aira, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Evelyn to open Aira’s first hub in Scotland. Today marks a historic milestone in the company’s continued expansion throughout Europe, as we continue our mission to take Europe off gas. The Stirling hub will also become a centre of excellence for Aira in Scotland, where we will train the next generation of heat pump installers and provide green skills training to the local community. It’s encouraging to see increasing consumer demand, but we need to unlock essential barriers to grant and loan access to truly accelerate adoption across Scotland.”
Evelyn Tweed, Member of the Scottish Parliament for Stirling, said: “Aira is one of Europe’s fastest growing clean energy-tech companies, and it’s great to see that they have chosen Stirling as the base for their Scottish operations. This will mean dozens of new jobs for the local community today – potentially hundreds as the business grows – and an exciting career ahead for the next generation of heat pump installers.
The Scottish Government has an ambitious target to convert thousands of homes from fossil fuel heating to cleaner alternatives such as air source heat pumps. If we achieve that goal, we will not only help to make energy more affordable and secure for all Scots but become one of the most energy efficient countries anywhere in the world. Many people living in rural areas are not on mains gas and pay a great deal for alternative sources of energy, so a greener, cheaper alternative is welcome.”
