Over the past 10 years, RD Plumbing and Heating has proudly serviced domestic and commercial energy customers across the country from Kilkenny, where they are based, to Carlow, Waterford, Dublin, Offaly, Tipperary, Wicklow, Laois, and Kildare.
David Kearney co-owns RD Plumbing and Heating. He began his career as a plumber, before heading to the UK for 10 years to work in maintenance for a company where he eventually became an Operations Director. He then returned to Ireland to set up RD Plumbing and heating
David comments, “We started the business 10 years ago, at the height of the recession, as a maintenance company. We could identify that, given the economic climate at the time, a lot of people were finding money tighter than it had been in previous years. Many of our prospective customers were focussed more on fixing problems and items in their house, instead of buying new. “We built our business on this concept at the lowest point of the recession and, 10 years later, we have now grown to become a team of 10, servicing domestic and commercial to industrial customers, on small installations through to large-scale projects.” He added, “As a business which was born out of the recession, having a fire in our bellies is something that comes second nature to us. In the past couple of years we began putting a lot of thought into the way forward for our business, and decided that a focus on renewable energy is the right fit for us.” At the end of May, RD Plumbing and Heating is launching a renewable energy showroom, which will be the first of its kind in Ireland. “We have been working with Calor for about six years, and the area of renewable energy is a common passion of ours. Calor has just launched BioLPG, 100% renewable LPG, and we will be one of the first commercial properties powered by the renewable alternative.
“We decided to set up a one-stop shop renewable energy showroom, which displays the entire spectrum of renewable energy and low carbon solutions, like Calor Rinnai water heaters and Greengear generators, and other energy appliances that are more environmentally focussed. “I suppose what sets our showroom apart from others is that it will be entirely run by renewable energy – a stand-alone and self-sufficient, energy- using building, off the natural gas grid. “We will use BioLPG to heat the showroom, solar PV panels to create the electricity we consume and we will also be renewing and reusing all of our water. The showroom will be an example of all of the uses of renewable energy, and the extent to which it can be relied on to power a home or business.”
RD Plumbing and Heating’s commitment to cleaner, greener alternatives has not gone unnoticed, and the business was nominated for an Innovation in Business and Environmental Award in Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 Kilkenny Business Awards.
“We always look to position ourselves at the forefront and be as innovative as possible,” added David. “Our aim is to do things a little bit differently so that we can find solutions and alternatives for all of our customers. “Given our cumulative experience as a close-knit team of ten, we are well positioned to deliver the best advice to our customers. The opening of the showroom perfectly signals the direction our business is going in and makes us excited about what 2018 has in store.