Daikin has announced the opening of its new Sustainable Home Centre in Darlington, working with family-owned plumbing and building merchant DPH.
Established in 2008, the Darlington-based business boasts over 35 years of combined experience in the plumbing and heating industry. Following a major upscaling of its premises and the creation of the 4D Centre two years ago, it has now evolved into a full Sustainable Home Centre.
The partnership brings together Daikin’s leading low-carbon heating technology solutions with DPH’s long-standing local knowledge and trade expertise.
The 4D Centre is a dynamic hub for innovation and education, featuring a Daikin showroom and dedicated training facility alongside a two-storey kitchen and bathroom exhibition with an on-site bespoke joinery workshop. Purpose-built to bring homeowners, installers and industry professionals together, the Centre offers hands-on access to modern, energy-efficient solutions and live system demonstrations.
The official opening took place on Thursday 30 April and DPH Darlington’s move into the Sustainable Home Centre model “reflects a broader trend among merchants and installers towards supporting decarbonisation at a local level.” The centre will host regular installer training sessions, product demonstrations and homeowner open days, giving local tradespeople the opportunity to gain certified upskilling and allowing consumers to see installations and interfaces in context.
In addition, the two-floor showroom and bespoke joinery workshop “enable complete-system thinking,” from equipment and controls to the finished aesthetic of kitchens and bathrooms, so customers can visualise how low-carbon systems integrate into modern homes.
Karen Perry, Head of Sustainability Home Centres at Daikin, commented: “The Sustainable Home Centre reflects our shared ambition to make low-carbon heating solutions accessible and practical for everyday homes and businesses. By utilising our showroom and training facility within the 4D Centre, we can provide installers and homeowners with direct access to the products, technical guidance and skills needed to accelerate the transition to heat pumps and other energy-efficient technologies.”
Dave Cooper, owner of DPH Darlington, added: “The Darlington area has been much slower than the rest of the country to adopt renewable technology. This is partly due to a lack of education for homeowners, as well as limited training opportunities for new installers, who often have to travel to other cities.
“The 4D Centre is a place where both homeowners and installers can come to see, learn about and experience these products first-hand. Our aim is to make renewable technology more accessible, build confidence in the market, and support the growth of skills locally so the region can move forward with the rest of the UK.”
