profile
Paul Haynes is the Product, Solutions & Marketing Director at Baxi leading brand, product and growth strategy across residential and commercial heating as the industry transitions to low-carbon solutions. He focuses on turning ambition into execution moving organisations from selling products to delivering end-to-end solutions that actually work in the real world.
Paul’s leadership approach has been shaped by experience at Amazon and Google, where he developed a sharp bias for action, customer obsession, and data-led decision making balanced with the reality that progress only counts if teams can deliver it at pace. Today, he applies those principles to large-scale transformation programmes spanning brand, portfolio strategy, go-to-market execution and connected services.
Known for being pragmatic, straight-talking and people-focused, Paul is passionate about building strong teams, developing future leaders and creating cultures where ownership beats hierarchy. He believes growth comes from clarity, commitment and follow-through not buzzwords.
Baxi
Baxi is a leading name in the British, Irish, and global heating and hot water industry, driving innovation and product design throughout the 20th century. We are part of the €2bn-turnover BDR Thermea Group, one of the three largest heating appliance manufacturers worldwide.
Since our founding in 1866, we have maintained a manufacturing base in Lancashire. Today, our 1,300 employees across the UK and Ireland serve both domestic and commercial customers, providing comprehensive heating and hot water solutions.
Our trusted portfolio includes easy-to-install products and responsive services, ranging from heat pumps, cylinders, and electric or gas boilers, to heat networks and large-scale pre-fabricated plant rooms tailored to commercial requirements.
Committed to sustainability and social impact, we launched our Sustainability Pledge in 2020 and are founding members of The Construction Inclusion Coalition (CIC), working to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in the construction industry. Our profits support the BDR Foundation, through which we promote STEM awareness in UK schools and colleges, partnering with World Skills UK, Primary Engineer, and other programmes to inspire the next generation of heating engineers.
Visit: baxi.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/baxiheating/
Launched in 2015, the award winning monthly Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report is the only reliable measure of repair, maintenance & improvement (RMI) activity in the UK. Filling an important gap, it can be widely used in construction, and by economists, Government, national media, commentators and influencers outside the industry.
Baxi Comment: Q4 2025
UK boiler volumes were flat in Q4 2025 year on year, while heat pump installations climbed sharply. First-half 2025 gas boiler sales were up 5%. Heat pumps, though a fraction of the market, were up 30%, driven by heightened public awareness, the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme and mounting regulatory pressure.
The Future Homes Standard (FHS) and the Clean Heat Market Mechanism (CHMM) are reshaping the landscape, and the shift towards low-carbon heating is no longer theoretical. It’s underway. The 2035 boiler ban was scrapped, but developers are already phasing out fossil fuel systems to meet carbon targets and future-proof their portfolios ahead of the Future Homes Standard implementation
About 125,000 Air Source Heat Pumps were installed in 2025 (up 25% from 96,000 in 2024), while annual boiler sales neared 1.35 million, but the gap is narrowing.
The UK’s inefficient housing stock has a median EPC rating of Band D. We must retrofit millions of homes and deliver hundreds of thousands of new ones, with low-carbon heating at their core to meet Net Zero by 2050. This is not swapping components, it’s systemic transformation.
Success hinges on deep collaboration. Developers need partners to co-design integrated systems that deliver low-temperature performance, simplify installation, and reduce risk. R&D teams must align with build strategies, and products engineered for performance, speed, and sustainability. Transparent lifecycle data, low-carbon materials, and smart controls are essential.
The UK heating industry stands at an inflection point, but…
The running cost disparity (electric v gas) and high upfront prices dissuade many homeowners from heat pumps. Government grants help, but long-term solutions (energy price reform, higher carbon pricing, or mass production economies of scale) are needed to persuade buyers.
Scaling heat pumps from 100,000 to 400,000/year installs will require thousands more trained heat pump engineers. The industry has 130,000 Gas Safe engineers versus a few thousand MCS-certified heat pump installers. Enticing new talent into the sector and training are urgent.
Electrifying heating puts a load on the grid, which needs an upgrade and smart demand management as heat pump numbers grow. This is an opportunity for innovation in thermal storage and grid-interactive appliances.
However, the FHS and Net Zero drive are a once-in-a-generation chance to upgrade Britain’s heating infrastructure. Let’s take it!