Rural Energy's offering strengthened by Herz's Binder acquisition

Rural Energy, the sole UK distributors of the premier Austrian boiler manufacturer Herz, has welcomed the news that the Herz Group is expanding its portfolio with the acquisition of Binder GmbH.

The addition means that it is now one of the few suppliers in the world that offers biomass solutions ranging from 10 kW to 10 MW.

Binder GmbH is an established brand in biomass systems, supplying and installing complete solutions from the boiler, to the fuel container, to the buffer tank, to containerised heating centres. It also has extensive research materials and expertise at its disposal, cooperating with universities worldwide and running a state-of-the-art testing facility to develop the most innovative and efficient biomass technologies.

Dr. Gerhard Glinzerer, owner of the Herz Group, commented: “The Binder brand has an excellent reputation in the industry and will therefore continue to be used in the sale of its own products in close coordination with Herz.”

Following the acquisition the Herz Group turnover is expected to exceed €260 million with sales in biomass boilers and heat pumps expected to reach €60 million. The group is also now active in more than 80 countries and employs 1,700 people worldwide.

Rural Energy has had a successful partnership with Herz for over nine years and has installed in excess of 175 MW of renewable heating across the country to date. Paul Clark, Managing Director of Rural Energy, said: “We are looking forward to working with Herz to further develop this new range of industrial boilers utilising the Binder technology and have already had interest from a number of our customers on the initial range that is available now.

“Biomass is an extremely versatile technology suitable for a wide variety of applications and heat loads, and now with the Binder acquisition we will have an even more comprehensive offering for the UK market.”

Rural Energy is one of the most experienced biomass distributors and installers in the UK, operating since 2002 and offers a full turnkey service from survey and design, through to installation and on-going maintenance. What’s more, it is also one of the UK’s leading biomass training providers, having recently invested more than £150,000 in its Biomass Training and Skills Centre at its head office in Leicestershire.