Two men who have launched a new plumbing and heating firm in Plymouth have said the fact people have been spending more time at home has meant immediate demand for their services.
Gary Yates, age 56, and Joe Pulley, aged 47, have more than 60 years’ experience between them in the industry, but decided to launch their new business JAG Heating in the thick of the pandemic.
With more people at home due to a change in circumstances there has a been knock on effect in demand – with boilers working harder than ever in the past 12 months.
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They said that an explosion in home working, as well as a sharp rise in the number of people renovating property with money they had saved for holidays, has increased work for lots of trades.
“The timing was just right,” said Joe. “No-one will ever say there is a good time, it was just a case of things falling into place. We had been talking for a little while saying ‘why don’t we do something’ and I was getting more and more calls from friends and family saying ‘do you do plumbing and heating?’. So I said to Gary ‘why don’t we make the jump?.
“Everyone is home now, a lot more people are doing their houses up rather than going on holiday, and especially if they are working from home they are thinking that they need a better radiator, or a radiator put in a room, or need a heating system to be reliable and are upgrading their boiler or making those changes that make their home lives a bit easier.”
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They explained that the partnership brings together their skills so that can offer everything from repairing a tap, servicing or repairing an existing boiler to fitting an entirely new heating system - or even a whole bathroom.
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They can provide systems which use natural gas, LPG and oil – and plan on expanding into renewable energy alternatives in the future.
While Gary has worked independently as an installer of central heating systems, Joe has 14 years’ experience as a Worcester Bosch engineer, with expertise in fault-finding and repairing existing boilers and systems.
“If you have a company you really need both,” said Joe. While it is early days for the business, the pair said that are both learning from each other.
Gary said: “Joe brings the experience of being a service and breakdown engineer, and I’ve got more plumbing and heating installation skills, so we’ve brought our strengths together. I can do what Joe does but he does it better, and Joe can do what I do, but I do it better.”