August Brötje

What August Brötje does

August Brötje GmbH is a German manufacturer of residential and light-commercial heating and domestic hot-water systems, headquartered in Rastede, Lower Saxony, and operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of the international BDR Thermea Group (Apeldoorn, Netherlands). The company sells a modular, system-based portfolio built around heat generators (air-to-water heat pumps across the BLW Eco, BLW Eco.2, BLW NEO, BLW Mono.1 and BLW Pro.1 ranges; the BTW hot-water heat pump; gas condensing wall-hung and floor-standing boilers; oil-fired BOB systems; and solar thermal collectors), matched storage and Power-to-Heat modules, the Kit 65 hybrid retrofit interface, and a connected control family (ISR Plus plus the IWR line including the new IWR IDA Basic and IWR DataConnect variants). Underlying technology includes R290 natural-refrigerant monoblock heat pumps delivering up to 75 °C flow temperature for retrofit applications, and a cloud platform that provides Fernwartung (remote maintenance) and Energiemanagement (energy management) for connected devices.

The business model is overwhelmingly indirect: BRÖTJE products reach end customers exclusively through Germany's two major HVAC wholesale groups (GC Gruppe and Pfeiffer & May) and a certified Fachhandwerker installer network, with channel enablement delivered via the Fachpartner portal, a southern distribution center (Vertriebszentrum Süd), co-branded marketing materials, training programs and a partner-loyalty scheme (BAP). End customers are German residential and small-commercial property owners, primarily replacing aging gas or oil systems with hybrid or heat-pump configurations; broetje.de supports demand through subsidy-navigation tools and a Fachhandwerker locator, but transactions are fulfilled through installers. Revenue streams span hardware sales, maintenance and customer-service contracts (Kundendienst/Wartung), subscription-style cloud remote-maintenance and energy-management services, installer training and BIM/VDI planning services, partner-loyalty marketing co-funding via BAP, and joint promotional campaigns with liquid-gas partners SCHARR and Primagas. The company employs 251–500 people and is led by Managing Director Erik Feijen.

Name

August Brötje

Legal name

August Brötje GmbH

Website

https://www.broetje.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

August Brötje GmbH is a German manufacturer of residential heating systems — heat pumps, gas and oil boilers, solar thermal, storage and connected controls — sold exclusively via a two-tier wholesale (GC Gruppe, Pfeiffer & May) and certified installer channel in Germany, as part of the BDR Thermea Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Heating Equipment

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414), Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433), Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564)

akta.pro primary industry

HVAC Equipment (Heating, Cooling & Air Handling) (IMAHAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Gas condensing boilers
• Air-to-water heat pumps
• Heating system controls
• Solar thermal collectors
• Hybrid heating systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Rastede

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware sales of heating systems: Sale of gas condensing boilers, heat pumps, oil boilers (BOB), solar thermal systems, hot-water storage tanks, radiators and the Kit 65 hybrid interface, primarily via the wholesale (Großhandel) and installer (Fachhandwerk) channel.
2. Wartung / customer service contracts: Recurring and one-time revenue from on-site maintenance (Wartung), phone and on-site customer service (Kundendienst), spare-parts supply and warranty handling, including a 5-year system warranty and manufacturer warranty offering.
3. Connected / cloud services (Fernwartung & Energiemanagement): Cloud-based remote maintenance and energy management services enabled by connected devices and apps, delivered in cooperation with service partners, providing recurring service and data-driven value to end users.
4. Partner loyalty / BAP (BRÖTJE Aktivpartner Programm): Trade-partner loyalty program with points-based rewards redeemable in the BAP shop for promotional items, supporting partner activation and retention.
5. Professional services for installers (training, commissioning, calculations, BIM/VDI data): Revenue from installer training (Trainings-Portal, workshops at Rastede visitor center and at wholesale training rooms), commissioning support, calculation forms, hydraulic database, and BIM/VDI planning data.
6. Marketing / advertising cooperation with Fachpartner: Personalized brochures, flyers, vehicle branding, large-format advertising, social-media post templates and other co-branded marketing materials supplied (some free of charge) to Fachpartner and Großhandel.
7. Liquid-gas (Flüssiggas) promotional campaigns with partners: Joint promotional campaigns with SCHARR and Primagas offering incentives (e.g., €200 credit) for switching to liquid gas with BRÖTJE equipment.

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

August Brötje GmbH manufactures and distributes residential heating systems, including air-to-water and domestic hot water heat pumps, gas condensing boilers, oil heating, solar thermal collectors, radiators, storage tanks and power-to-heat modules, together with connected heating controls and a cloud-based remote-maintenance service. Products reach end customers through a two-tier channel of German HVAC wholesalers (GC Gruppe, Pfeiffer & May) and certified installers (Fachhandwerk). The company is part of the international BDR Thermea Group.

Product overview

BRÖTJE offers a modular, system-based heating portfolio rather than a single product. The architecture is a platform-plus-modules family: heat generators (BLW air-to-water heat pumps incl. BLW Eco, BLW Eco.2, BLW NEO, BLW Mono.1, BLW Pro.1; BTW hot-water heat pump; gas condensing boilers WGB/WBC/WBS.2; gas condensing therms WMS/WMC; gas value therms WHS/WHC; floor-standing BGB/BGB.1/SGB; the BBK condensing heat center; and the BOB oil heating) can be combined with the Kit 65 hybrid interface to integrate a heat pump into an existing gas installation, or with solar thermal collectors (FK 26 W B, FKR 25, FKR-L 25) and matched storage (Solarspeicher EAS-WS/SPZ/SSB, ETG 500, ETG Luft, ESH 3 Power-to-Heat, PSW/PSW-M, EAS/BS/LSR/EAS-T). All of these are orchestrated by BRÖTJE's connected control family (IWR with variants Alpha/DataConnect/HMR/Ida/IDA Basic/OT IDA; ISR with HSM/HSM-H/IDA/OZW/IKS/Plus/RGP plus the ISR Plus Service- und Fernmanagement Software; GSR solar controller; NEO; Schulungsregler training controller) and accessed via end-customer and partner apps (Home Komfort App, BAP App, BRÖTJE Ersatzteil App, BRÖTJE ProfiTool App, BRÖTJE Start App). Radiators (DZS flat radiators and EuroPlan/EuroProfil/MidiPlan/MidiProfil/RetroProfil flat heating elements) round out the offering as system-completing components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BRÖTJE-HEIZUNG: Brand used in logo wordmark and footer attribution (© 2026 August Brötje GmbH) on the corporate website.
• BDR Thermea Group

Products and services

• BLW Air-to-Water Heat Pump Series Family of air-to-water heat pumps for residential space heating and domestic hot water preparation, including the BLW Eco, BLW Eco.2, BLW NEO, BLW Mono.1 (R290 natural refrigerant, monoblock) and BLW Pro.1 variants. Sold via wholesale and installer channels to end customers in Germany.
• BTW Hot Water Heat Pump Trinkwasser-Wärmepumpe for domestic hot water preparation in residential installations. Distributed via the BRÖTJE installer and wholesale channel.
• Gas Condensing Wall-Hung Boiler Series Wall-mounted gas condensing boilers (Gas-Brennwertwandkessel) in the WGB, WBC and WBS.2 lines, available up to 38 kW and from 50 kW for trade partners. Sold through HVAC wholesale and certified installers.
• Gas Condensing Therms Gas condensing instantaneous water heaters (Gas-Brennwertthermen) in the WMS and WMC lines, for residential domestic hot water and heating. Distributed via wholesale and installer channel.
• Gas Value Therms Gas value-based instantaneous water heaters (Gas-Heizwertthermen) in the WHS and WHC lines, for residential hot water and heating applications.
• Floor-Standing Gas Condensing Boilers Floor-standing gas condensing boilers (Gas-Brennwertkessel) in the BGB, BGB.1 and SGB lines, available up to 38 kW and from 50 kW. Sold via wholesale and installer channel.
• BBK Gas Condensing Heating Center Gas condensing heating center (Gas-Brennwertwärmezentrum) integrating a condensing boiler and hot-water storage in a single unit for residential installations.
• BOB Oil Heating System BRÖTJE-branded oil-fired heating system (Ölheizung) for residential use. Distributed via the installer and wholesale channel.
• Kit 65 Hybrid Interface Pre-assembled 17.5 cm hybrid interface mounted behind a BRÖTJE gas condensing boiler, enabling a heat pump to be retrofitted later. All devices can be controlled via the boiler control unit or app and operate in the most economical mode.
• Flat-Plate Solar Collectors Flat-plate solar thermal collectors in the FK 26 W B, FKR 25 and FKR-L 25 lines for domestic hot water and heating support. Sold via wholesale and installer channel.
• Solar Storage Tanks Solar storage tanks including the EAS-WS, SPZ and SSB lines, matched to BRÖTJE solar thermal systems.
• Buffer and Stratified Storage Tanks Buffer and stratified storage tanks including the ETG 500 and ETG Luft (air-based) variants for heat-pump and hybrid systems.
• ESH 3 Power-to-Heat Module Power-to-heat module enabling conversion of surplus electricity into heat stored in the buffer tank for residential heating systems.
• Domestic Hot Water Tanks Domestic hot water storage tanks (Trinkwassererwärmer) including the PSW, PSW-M, EAS, EAS-T, BS and LSR lines, matched to BRÖTJE heat generators.
• DZS Flat Panel Radiator Flat panel radiator (Flachheizkörper) in the BRÖTJE product range, distributed via wholesale and installer channel.
• Flat Heating Elements Family of flat heating elements (Flachheizelemente) including EuroPlan, EuroProfil, MidiPlan, MidiProfil and RetroProfil variants for residential spaces with stepless control. Sold to trade partners.
• IWR Connected Heating Controller Internet-enabled heating controller family with variants IWR Alpha, IWR HMR, IWR Ida, IWR IDA Basic, IWR DataConnect and OT IDA, supporting connectivity, remote access and integration with the cloud platform.
• ISR Heating Controller Family BRÖTJE system controller family with variants ISR HSM/HSM-H, ISR IDA, ISR OZW/IKS, ISR Plus and ISR RGP. ISR Plus is standard in all BRÖTJE heating appliances and supports the system-wide control and remote-management software.
• GSR Solar Controller BRÖTJE solar controller (Solarregler) for solar thermal systems.
• NEO Heating Controller BRÖTJE heating control unit (Regelung) for residential heating systems.
• Home Komfort App End-customer mobile app for remote control and monitoring of BRÖTJE heating installations via the cloud-based Fernwartung platform.
• BAP App Mobile app for trade partners within the BRÖTJE Aktivpartner (BAP) loyalty program, supporting partner self-service.
• BRÖTJE Ersatzteil App Spare-parts app for partners, providing online access to spare-part information, article numbers, prices, images, drawings and documentation.
• BRÖTJE ProfiTool App Professional tool app for installers and trade partners supporting BRÖTJE heating installations.
• BRÖTJE Start App Mobile app supporting commissioning and start-up workflows for BRÖTJE heating systems.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / parent, core and minor.

• BDR Thermea Group B.V.flagship / parentStrategic or Co-development PartnerAugust Brötje GmbH is part of the BDR Thermea Group (registered office: Kanaal Zuid 106, 7332 BD Apeldoorn, Netherlands). For products and services jointly developed with the parent, August Brötje GmbH and BDR Thermea Group B.V. act as joint controllers under the EU GDPR. Personal data of customers and end users may be exchanged within the BDR Thermea Group for administration, strategy, monitoring, R&D, research, direct marketing and product/service delivery.
• GC GruppecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor German HVAC wholesale group distributing BRÖTJE products to installers. BRÖTJE provides dedicated marketing support (brochures, price lists, training, large-format advertising, mobile fair stand, social-media templates). Wholesale employees have access to a dedicated Werbemittelshop and to a separate GC-Gruppe marketing contact form for marketing inquiries.
• Pfeiffer & May Gruppe (P&M Gruppe)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecond major German HVAC wholesale group distributing BRÖTJE products to installers. BRÖTJE directs marketing inquiries for P&M partners to the P&M Marketing Helpdesk and to Folke Rudloff. Partner-employees can order promotional items via the BRÖTJE Werbemittelshop.
• SCHARR (Flüssiggas / liquid-gas partner)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint Flüssiggas (liquid-gas) campaign offering incentives for switching to liquid gas with BRÖTJE equipment; promoted via the Fachpartner Aktionen section of the website and via the Werbemittelshop.
• Primagas (Flüssiggas / liquid-gas partner)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint Flüssiggas campaign offering e.g. €200 Gutschrift (credit) for switching to liquid gas with BRÖTJE equipment; promoted via the Fachpartner Aktionen section.
• Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (Facebook & Instagram)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerBRÖTJE operates Facebook (facebook.com/broetje.heizung) and Instagram (@broetje.heizung) pages with Meta as joint controller under Art. 26 EU GDPR; Meta provides Page-Insights statistics and the company provides co-branded social-media content templates to installers.
• Google Ireland Limited (Google Maps, YouTube, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google AdWords)coreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle services embedded in broetje.de and in BRÖTJE apps: Google Maps for location display, YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) for product videos, Google Tag Manager / Universal Analytics (with IP anonymization) for site analytics, Google AdWords for paid search with conversion tracking, and a dedicated Cookie Preferences opt-out.
• LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBRÖTJE operates a LinkedIn company page (linkedin.com/company/august-brötje-gmbh) for corporate communications and recruiting; cookies (e.g., lidc) used for functional and retargeting purposes.
• XING AGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBRÖTJE maintains an XING company page (xing.com/pages/augustbrotjegmbh) for corporate communications and recruiting in the German-speaking market.
• Brötje Kundendienst GmbHcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAffiliated customer-service company that receives personal data when needed to process contact-form, customer-service or order-related inquiries (named as a service provider in the privacy notice).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Viessmann: German residential and commercial heating OEM with an overlapping portfolio of condensing boilers, heat pumps, solar thermal and connected controls; historically a direct mid-market competitor to Brötje in Germany, now part of Carrier.
• Wolf: German heating OEM (now part of Bosch) offering gas condensing boilers, heat pumps and system controls; competes with Brötje for the same German installer and wholesale customer base.
• Vaillant Group: German-headquartered residential heating OEM with comparable gas condensing boilers, heat pumps and hybrid systems sold through the same German wholesale and installer channel; closest like-for-like competitor to Brötje in Germany.
• NIBE Energy Systems: Swedish heat-pump and heating specialist selling air-to-water and exhaust-air heat pumps across Europe including Germany; increasingly relevant competitor as the German market shifts toward heat pumps.
• Weishaupt: German heating technology manufacturer with burner, condensing boiler and heat-pump offerings sold via specialist partners; comparable German mid-market heating OEM with similar installer-channel go-to-market.
• Stiebel Eltron: German-headquartered specialist in heat pumps (including R290), DHW heating and ventilation; competes directly with Brötje's BLW and BTW ranges, particularly in the German heat-pump and renovation segments.
• Buderus: Bosch-owned German heating brand with a near-identical portfolio of condensing boilers, heat pumps, solar, storage and connected controls; a direct competitor within the same Großhandel/Fachhandwerk distribution model.

Regional players

• IDM Energiesysteme: Austrian heat-pump and heating specialist with a strong DACH presence; adjacent competitor to Brötje in heat pumps and hybrid systems, primarily active in Austria and southern Germany rather than full national overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Bosch Thermotechnology: Larger division of Bosch selling residential heating (gas, heat pumps, hybrid) including the Buderus and Junkers brands in Germany; competes with Brötje across essentially the same product categories and installer channel.
• Daikin: Global HVAC incumbent with a fast-growing residential heat-pump presence in Germany; competes most directly with Brötje's BLW air-to-water range and is rapidly investing in installer training and connected services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BroetjeHeizung
• Facebookfacebook.com/broetje.heizung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/august-br%C3%B6tje-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/broetje.heizung

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 August Brötje