What is your mission with Regli Energy Systems?

The future is uncompromising. That’s why we’re driving the energy turnaround. To manage the energy turnaround, we would have to make it a “heat turnaround” because most emissions are caused by heating. The war in Ukraine has brought the issue even more into focus. The scale is gigantic: 36% of all emissions come from building heating. That’s a huge percentage, especially in our hemisphere. We want to contribute to the energy or heat turnaround and save CO₂ – our goal is 1 million tons of CO₂ by 2032.

How do you achieve the mission with your heat pumps, and what are your USPs?

Our mission is to bring the energy transition to existing buildings: The heat pump market is extensive, and we specialize mainly in heat pumps for old buildings. The background: in Europe, 92 million buildings are older than 20-40 years. In Switzerland, 80% of the buildings are older than 20 years; these are poorly insulated and have correspondingly higher energy consumption. To achieve the energy turnaround, existing buildings would have to be renovated so that they no longer emit so much CO₂ – the best place to start is with the heating system. Unfortunately, only a few heat pumps can be used efficiently in old buildings. Our heat pumps are specialized for precisely these cases.

Regli heat pumps can already be called the future heat pumps: Our units’ energy efficiency is 25% higher than the market average, making them very suitable for use in older buildings. We are achieving the energy turnaround with today’s standards, as we already meet all the specifications for 2030 and beyond. Compared to “normal heat pumps,” we save about 600kg of CO₂ annually, much more than gas and oil heating systems.

In addition, our heat pumps (which, by the way, can also cool) are very quiet, have an attractive design that has already won several awards, and can be controlled with intelligent software. In addition to research and innovation in Switzerland, we produce directly under the highest quality standards in neighboring Germany.

Can anyone “simply” install a heat pump, or what’s the best way to proceed if needed?

Heat pumps are very individual. It’s not a matter of putting in just any heat pump, but rather of adapting the type of heat pump to the needs of the house and its condition. With such a large investment, it is advisable to consult an expert. At Regli we offer exactly this service: Needs-based and customized concepts that are efficient and environmentally friendly. Our personal digital consultation takes into account the customer’s needs and living situation, as well as the condition of the property, in order to determine which heat pump is the right one.

How did you come up with the idea of Regli Energy Systems and how did you develop the heat pumps?

Regli Energy Systems can be described as a garage style startup. We don’t have an ETH or PhD background – my co-founder tinkered in the garage and kept developing the heat pump on his own until we had a model that could be tested. By the time we got to where we are today, a lot had happened since the garage model, of course.

In 2021 you won the Red Dot Award and in 2022 the IF Design Award – what role does design play in industrial products today?

Design plays a big role in heat pumps. We see the house as a life’s work and think it’s a great pity if you put a horrible heat pump in front of this beautiful life’s work. We therefore wanted a timeless design that would blend in well with its surroundings and not detract in the least from the beauty of a house.

Growth with the help of financing – how did your first round of financing go and how was your collaboration with LEXR?

After we first started the financing round ourselves, we reached our limits quite quickly. We then brought LEXR on board and became big fans. The financing round was highly professional. Thanks to the efficient processes for all shareholders, we were able to handle everything quickly. The advice was customized to our case, everything was transparent and without hidden costs. We felt very comfortable and are now also doing the next round with LEXR.