The eco-tech company Hive and the clean energy technology company Aira have entered into a long-term strategic partnership to drive the energy transition and increase heat pump installations in the UK.
By combining Hive’s experience as a leading provider of smart home solutions with Aira’s intelligent products, the partnership aims to make heat pumps more affordable and accessible, which is expected to speed up their adoption across the country.
Hive has already transformed energy use in more than two million homes and saved more than 1.6 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide with its energy-efficient smart home devices, resulting in savings of more than £490 million in energy costs for customers.
Aira, a leading direct-to-consumer clean energy technology brand, offers a complete solution with affordable monthly payments and an industry-unique 15-year Aira guarantee. The partnership strengthens Aira’s goal of driving a clean energy revolution home by home and increasing access to heat pumps at scale.
Through the partnership, Aira’s smart and intuitive heat pumps will be rolled out across the UK via customer recommendations from Hive, which could cut heating costs by up to 29% for more households.
The partnership comes at a decisive moment: although heat pump installations reached a record 60,000 in 2024, the UK is still far from the government’s target of 600,000 installations a year by 2028. With 25 million British homes still heated by gas boilers, it is essential to accelerate the transition to cleaner, greener and more cost-effective solutions.
Dan Rosenfield, CEO of Hive, comments: “Our partnership with Aira brings together the best of British technology and innovative Scandinavian design to give customers more choice as they electrify the heating in their homes.
Home heating is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the UK, which is why we are working with other like-minded companies to meet this challenge and help customers make the switch to a lower-carbon future.”
Martin Lewerth, Group CEO of Aira, continues: “In parts of Europe with cold climates, such as Scandinavia, heat pump technology has been used for decades to heat homes, while countries such as the UK are still at a very early stage of adoption.
With Hive’s leadership in smart homes, this partnership will help establish heat pumps as a cleaner and more affordable heating solution for British households, raise awareness and accessibility – and ultimately support the transition to clean energy.”
The announcement comes shortly after the UK government eased planning permission requirements for installing heat pumps and increased funding for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, raising the total budget for this financial year to £205 million. The partnership is therefore well positioned to enable even more British homeowners to benefit from air source heat pumps.
Note on Aira’s calculation of a 29% saving on heating costs:
29% cost saving over 20 years when switching from a gas boiler (including product cost, maintenance, standing charges and gas for heating) to an 8 kW Aira heat pump and 100 L indoor unit with a £7,500 BUS grant and five standard radiator upgrades (including product cost, Aira’s all-inclusive plan and electricity for heating).
Gas consumption and cost: 15,000 kWh per year at 6.34 p/kWh plus a standing charge of 31.65 p/day over 20 years. Electricity consumption and cost: 3,375 kWh per year at 20.30 p/kWh (average based on 39.79% base price at 26.22 p/kWh, 52.21% off-peak price at 12.86 p/kWh and 8% peak price at 39.34 p/kWh, February 2025).
Contact:
Gabrielle Irvine, Aira Group Head of PR – press@airahome.com
Amber Heavisides, Group Senior Manager, Engagement and Communications – amber.heavisides@centrica.com
About Hive
Hive is an eco-tech company whose goal is to make zero-carbon living simple and affordable, thereby contributing to a greener and fairer future. As part of the Centrica family, the company has helped millions of British customers get closer to their full eco-energy potential. Going forward, Hive’s range of pioneering technology – developed in partnership with manufacturers around the world, such as solar panels, electric vehicle chargers and high-efficiency heat pumps – is ready to make home energy use even greener, cheaper and simpler.
About Aira
Aira offers clean energy technology solutions direct to consumers and aims to become Europe’s leading brand in the industry. The company is accelerating the electrification of home heating with intelligent clean energy technology to enable a journey to zero emissions. Aira is a full-service provider of home energy-saving solutions, with intelligent heat pumps at its core. Through a vertically integrated model and a consumer-focused monthly payment plan with no upfront cost, Aira offers market-leading economics for consumers. The company was founded in Stockholm by Vargas Holding and is backed by climate- and innovation-focused investors, including Altor, the Burda family, Collaborative Fund, Creades, Kinnevik, Lingotto, Nesta Impact Investments, Statkraft Ventures and Temasek.