Willis Heating and Plumbing Co Ltd, established by William Willis in 1887, is most famous for the invention of the Willis Immersion Heater which became an essential feature of virtually every household in Northern Ireland during the 1960s and '70s.
Now the company, under the leadership of managing director and fourth generation family member John Willis, has developed a new solar water heating system which it claims will be the biggest industry breakthrough since the Willis Immersion Heater – the Willis SolaSyphon.
The invention is a type of plug-in solar system which can be installed in homes without the need to rip out existing oil or natural gas systems.
The company says the system, which is suppported by a solar panel on the roof, is set to reduce home water heating bills by up to 50 per cent and installation costs by up to 30 per cent.
"It can be used in new installations or retro-fitted to existing installations and starts producing usable hot water within minutes of sun shining on the solar panel, rather than several hours using existing technology," explained Mr Willis.
"As with all the best inventions, it was to us a simple idea and within two days we had constructed a working prototype which in terms of performance actually exceeded our expectations. Quite simply, we found that we had invented a 'one size fits all' product that is a significant improvement over anything currently available on the market and will have a major impact on the global solar thermal industry.''
Mr Willis added that between 2,000 and 3,000 solar panel systems will be installed in Northern Ireland alone this year and when added to figures for Britain, Ireland, Europe and beyond, it represents a major opportunity for the company which is establishing a network of agents around the world.
The Willis system has been approved by the University of Ulster and is supported by Invest Northern Ireland and the Carbon Trust.