01 Jun 2010 05:06:09

Energy-efficient boiler and solar panel market expected to heat up

Prospects for the energy-efficient boiler and thermal solar panel industry over the coming months are looking positive, one expert has claimed.

Mike Southall, national sales manager at low-carbon heating technology firm Buderus, said that the domestic market struggled last year due to the recession.

The commercial market experience a "dip" this year, which Mr Southall said may have been down to uncertainty of the election or due to the budgetary restrictions firms are currently facing, which was not apparent last year.

Evidence of the demand for low-carbon heating can be seen in the uptake of the Scottish boiler scrappage scheme, which allocated all 5,000 vouchers for energy-efficient boilers in two days when it launched last week.

He predicted that the market would pick up during the summer when offices and schools were in a position to take on larger scale projects.

"We feel fairly confident that it will pick up and the busy time for us is always going to be July and August," Mr Southall claimed.