Heat Merchants

What Heat Merchants does

Heat Merchants, legally The Washglade Limited T/A Heat Merchants and headquartered in Athlone, Ireland, is a trade-focused distributor and e-commerce retailer of heating, plumbing, and renewable energy products serving the Irish market. Founded in 2012 and operating as a subsidiary of the Wolseley Group, the company runs a network of over 30 branches across Ireland paired with a Magento-based e-commerce storefront offering Click & Collect and nationwide delivery. Its catalog spans domestic and commercial boilers (gas and oil), steel panel and designer radiators, towel rails, central heating controls and pumps, water treatment products, underfloor heating systems with bespoke technical design, water heaters and cylinders, air-to-water and exhaust air heat pumps, solar thermal, and MVHR/MEV ventilation, alongside a comprehensive pipes and fittings range that includes own-brand Heat Merchants Tectite, solder ring, acorn, and steel/galvanized lines.

The company serves three primary segments: trade professionals (plumbers, heating engineers, gas installers, building contractors) accessing trade account pricing and dedicated account support; homeowners and DIY consumers purchasing through branches and online; and commercial/industrial projects requiring system-scale heating infrastructure. Distribution flows through the physical branch network (walk-in sales, technical advice, Click & Collect), the e-commerce storefront (€35 delivery under €500), and a dedicated trade account program with negotiated pricing. Revenue is generated one-time on each product sale rather than via recurring contracts or subscriptions.

Distinctive capabilities include an in-house Technical Design team producing bespoke underfloor heating and mechanical services system designs with full drawing sets (manifold locations, loop directions, loop lengths, cutting schedules), and a national network of engineers providing commissioning and warranty support — most notably for Panasonic Aquarea heat pumps. The Heat Merchants brand also distributes third-party products from Panasonic, Grundfos, Ideal Heating, Baxi, Bosch, Rinnai, EcoVolt, WITA, DeJong, Firebird, and others, while the Bathroom Merchants sub-brand extends the assortment into bathroom and kitchen fittings, furniture, and accessible bathrooms.

Name

Heat Merchants

Legal name

The Washglade Limited T/A Heat Merchants

Website

https://heatmerchants.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Heat Merchants is an Irish heating, plumbing, and renewable energy distributor serving trade professionals and homeowners via 30+ branches and an e-commerce platform, with in-house technical design and aftersales engineering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heating and Plumbing Distribution

NAICS

Warm Air Heating and Air-Conditioning Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42373), Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies (Hydronics) Merchant Wholesalers (423720), Building Material and Supplies Dealers (4441)

SIC

Wholesale-Hardware & Plumbing & Heating Equipment & Supplies (5070)

akta.pro primary industry

HVAC, Water Heaters & Indoor Air Quality Distribution (CRAOAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

HVAC Parts & Supplies Retail (Thermostats, Filters, Ducting) (CRAIADAI)

Keywords

• Heating products distribution
• Plumbing supplies merchant
• Renewable energy equipment
• HVAC trade supplies
• Boilers and radiators

Headquarters

HQ city

Athlone

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Heat Merchants generates revenue through the sale of heating, plumbing, and renewable energy products including boilers, radiators, water heaters, heat pumps, solar systems, ventilation, pipes, fittings, and bathroom products. Revenue comes from both trade accounts and retail customers through branches and e-commerce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heat Merchants distributes and retails heating, plumbing, and renewable energy products across Ireland through over 30 physical branches and an e-commerce platform. Core product lines include domestic and commercial boilers, radiators, central heating controls and pumps, water treatment, underfloor heating systems, water heaters and cylinders, heat pumps, solar thermal systems, ventilation, pipes and fittings, and bathroom/kitchen products. The company supplements product sales with technical design, commissioning, and warranty support services targeted primarily at trade professionals and secondarily at homeowners.

Product overview

Heat Merchants is a heating, plumbing, and renewable energy solutions retailer and distributor operating primarily in Ireland. The company offers a comprehensive product portfolio organized around several core categories: domestic and commercial boilers (gas, oil, and solid fuel), radiators (steel panel, designer, and towel rails), central heating controls and pumps, water treatment products, underfloor heating systems with technical design services, water heaters and hot water cylinders, storage tanks and expansion vessels, heat pumps (including Panasonic and EcoVolt brands), solar thermal systems, and ventilation solutions. The company also distributes pipes, fittings, and plumbing supplies including its own-brand Heat Merchants fittings (Tectite, solder ring, acorn, and steel/galvanized fittings) as well as third-party brands. Under the Bathroom Merchants sub-brand, the company offers bathroom and kitchen products including showering, furniture, baths, toilets, basins, taps, and accessories. The company provides related services including technical system design, commissioning, and warranty support, particularly for renewable energy products. Heat Merchants operates as a trade-focused distributor with both retail branches and online e-commerce capabilities, serving both trade professionals and homeowners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Domestic Gas Boilers Domestic gas boilers including combi boilers, heat only boilers, and system boilers, along with parts, spares, installation accessories, and flue components. For trade installers and homeowners in Ireland.
• Domestic Oil Boilers Domestic oil boilers including standard oil boilers and combi oil boilers, along with parts, spares, installation accessories, and flue components. For properties without gas connections in Ireland.
• Commercial Boilers & Accessories Commercial boilers, commercial boiler parts, and gas detectors for commercial heating applications including offices and industrial facilities.
• Steel Panel Radiators Steel panel radiators including compact radiators and round top radiators for residential and commercial heating installations.
• Designer Radiators Designer radiators available in vertical and horizontal configurations for aesthetic heating solutions in residential and commercial settings.
• Towel Rails Towel rails including heated towel rails, electric towel rails, and accessories for bathroom heating installations.
• Central Heating Controls Central heating controls including time and temperature controls, smart home controls, domestic heating controls, commercial heating control valves, gas safety controls, zone valves, control packs, and accessories.
• Central Heating Pumps Central heating pumps including domestic pumps, commercial pumps, condensate pumps, water boosting pumps, pressurisation units, well pumps, and accessories.
• Water Treatment Products Water treatment products including central heating cleaners, inhibitors, filters, leak sealer, boiler silencers, power flush machines, water softener systems, and scale reducers.
• Underfloor Heating Systems Underfloor heating systems with controls, manifolds, accessories, pipe and fixings, tools, electric underfloor heating, and UFH panels. Technical design team provides bespoke system designs with manifold locations, loop directions, loop lengths, and cutting schedules.
• Water Heaters Water heaters including boiling water, chilled water, electric water heaters, and commercial water heaters with accessories and parts.
• Hot Water Cylinders Hot water cylinders including copper hot water cylinders, steel hot water cylinders, heat pump cylinders, cylinder accessories, copper plate heat exchangers, and buffer tanks.
• Heat Pumps Heat pumps including air-to-water heat pumps suitable for new builds and retrofit projects. Panasonic Aquarea range and EcoVolt exhaust air heat pumps featured, with technical design team support and engineer-led aftersales and warranty repairs.
• Solar Thermal Systems Solar thermal systems and accessories for renewable energy heating solutions in residential and commercial properties.
• Ventilation Systems Ventilation products including Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), Mechanical Extract Ventilation Units (MEV), ducting, controls, and accessories.
• Pipes & Fittings Comprehensive plumbing fittings including imperial and metric compression fittings, valves and manifolds, press fittings, multi-layer fittings, acorn fittings, solder ring fittings, steel and galvanized fittings, tectite fittings, weld fittings, flanges and gaskets, specialist valves and fittings, and gas connections and hoses.
• Pipe Systems Complete pipe systems including copper piping, plastic pipe systems, multilayer pipe systems, steel and galvanized pipe systems, and specialist pipe systems.
• Bathroom & Kitchen Products Bathroom and kitchen products under the Bathroom Merchants brand, including showering, furniture, baths, toilets, basins, taps, accessories, and accessible bathrooms for residential customers and trade installers.
• Trade Essentials Trade essentials including tools and fixings, test equipment, fasteners, silicones and sealants, heating trade essentials, plumbing trade essentials, electrical supplies, PPE and fire safety equipment, smoke and CO detectors, and fire blankets and extinguishers.
• Technical Design Services Technical services including full system design for mechanical services with equipment specification, provided by Heat Merchants Technical Services Engineers. Also includes bespoke underfloor heating system designs with manifold locations, loop directions, loop lengths, and cutting schedules.
• Commissioning & Warranty Services Commissioning and warranty services with engineers located across the country available to assist homeowners and installers with aftersale support and warranty repairs, particularly for Panasonic Heat Pumps.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PanasoniccoreTechnology or IntegrationPanasonic is a key brand partner for heat pump products. Heat Merchants offers Panasonic air-to-water heat pumps suitable for new builds and retrofit projects. The Heat Merchants Technical Design Team provides bespoke designs for domestic heating systems, and Heat Merchants Engineers provide aftersale support and warranty repairs for Panasonic Heat Pumps.
• WolseleycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHeat Merchants is a Wolseley company, part of the Wolseley Group which is a major distributor of heating and plumbing products. This provides Heat Merchants with the backing and scale of an international group.
• GrundfoscoreTechnology or IntegrationGrundfos is a featured top brand offering shower pumps and other pumping solutions. Products like Grundfos Shower Pumps are featured with special pricing starting from €170 +VAT.
• Ideal HeatingcoreTechnology or IntegrationIdeal Heating is listed as a top brand partner offering domestic gas boilers including combi, heat only, and system boilers.
• BaxicoreTechnology or IntegrationBaxi is listed as a top brand partner offering heating and hot water solutions.
• BoschcoreTechnology or IntegrationBosch is listed as a top brand partner offering heating and hot water products.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• PlumbNation: Online specialist plumbing and heating retailer with strong trade customer base in the UK and Ireland. Comparable product range and e-commerce GTM; less branch density than Heat Merchants but overlaps on plumbing fittings, boilers, and trade pricing.

Broad incumbents

• Travis Perkins: Major UK builders' merchant group with significant plumbing and heating offering. Larger and broader in scope than Heat Merchants but overlaps in trade customer base, product categories, and distribution-led model.
• City Plumbing Supplies (Travis Perkins): UK-based plumbing, heating, and bathroom merchant owned by Travis Perkins. Comparable product mix and trade-focused distribution model, but operates primarily in the UK market.
• Plumb Center (Wolseley): Sister brand within the Wolseley group operating a large UK plumbing and heating distribution network. Highly comparable business model (trade-focused HVAC and plumbing merchant) but serves the UK market rather than Ireland.
• Wolseley UK: UK arm of the Wolseley group, parent of Heat Merchants. Operates the broader Wolseley trade distribution business against which Heat Merchants' performance and model are benchmarked within the group.
• Screwfix (Kingfisher): UK-based trade and DIY retailer (Kingfisher subsidiary) expanding into Ireland with click-and-collect trade counters. Overlaps with Heat Merchants on trade plumbing and heating supply, though broader in merchandise mix.

Direct peers

• Chadwicks (Saint-Gobain): Irish builders' merchants and plumbing/heating distributor with branch network across Ireland. Direct competitor for trade professionals and homeowners sourcing heating, plumbing, and renewable products in the same domestic market as Heat Merchants.
• Heating & Plumbing Supplies (HPS): Irish trade-focused plumbing and heating distributor with branches across Ireland serving installers and contractors. Direct competitor to Heat Merchants on trade accounts, branch access, and product range.
• Heiton Buckley (Saint-Gobain): Irish builders' merchants operating a multi-branch network supplying plumbing, heating, and bathroom products to trade and retail customers. Competes head-to-head with Heat Merchants across Ireland on similar product categories and customer segments.

Regional players

• Woodie's DIY: Ireland's largest DIY retail chain with significant heating, plumbing, and bathroom ranges. Competes with Heat Merchants on retail/homeowner segments but with a broader DIY merchandise mix rather than specialist trade focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heatmerchants
• Facebookfacebook.com/heat.merchants.3
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heat-merchants-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/bathroommerchants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heat Merchants