Meet the Supplier: Get to Know Recoup

In our latest ‘Meet the Supplier’ feature, we caught up with Caroline Bowler, Head of Residential Decarbonisation at Recoup, supplier on the Greener Futures Partnership Decarbonisation Delivery DPS.
Caroline talks about the company’s experience in delivering wastewater heat recovery solutions that help to improve living standards and tackle fuel poverty, and its focus on being a sustainable business.
She also discusses scaling up without compromising quality and explains the benefits of the company’s four-day working week.

What is your company’s mission statement/aims/objectives?

Recoup exists to make homes warmer, cheaper to run, and more sustainable by delivering wastewater heat recovery solutions that have a positive effect on living standards. We support tenants, homeowners, housing providers and developers to improve energy efficiency, reduce fuel bills and meet UK decarbonisation goals, helping create homes that are affordable, compliant, meeting Part L and EPC targets.

Can you give us a brief history of your company?

Recoup Energy Solutions, providing Waste Water Heat Recovery Systems (WWHRS) was founded in late 2011 in Norfolk. It was established to offer a highly efficient and diverse range of Waste Water Heat Recovery Systems (WWHRS) that recover heat from shower wastewater to pre-heat incoming cold water, improving energy efficiency and saving money for residents.
In May 2023, Recoup Energy Solutions was acquired by Mira Showers. This strategic move aimed to bring Recoups WWHRS expertise together with Mira Showers innovation and offering. Recoup’s co-founders highlighted that Mira’s strong customer brand and history of innovation would complement Recoups WWHRS portfolio, helping both organisations to further develop sustainable solutions.
Since joining the Kohler Mira family, Recoup’s products have continued to be marketed and developed with synergies in shower and water-heating technologies, including integrations with Mira Heatloop electric shower that is compatible with WWHRS.

What are the benefits of being a supplier on this DPS?

Being on the GFP DPS gives social housing providers a simple, compliant way to award contracts for their retrofit and new-build projects.
It enables Recoup to collaborate with housing associations and local authorities to support their housing upgrade programmes, helping improve SAP performance, reduce carbon, and lower tenants’ energy bills.

What specific products or services does your company deliver through the DPS?

Recoup delivers retrofit and new build Wastewater Heat Recovery Solutions, specifically:

• Easifit Plus – designed for straight forward installation in existing homes.
• HeatDeck integrated shower trays – combining a shower tray with built-in heat recovery for efficient retrofit, new build and refurbishment projects.
• PipeHex – Vertical Pipe System suitable for new build projects.

These products are well suited to social housing and large-scale upgrade programmes, where ease of installation and minimal disruption is key.

Can you share some key achievements or successful projects completed through the DPS?

As we have only recently joined the DPS, we are yet to complete projects through it. However, we are already working closely with several housing providers, engaging early to understand their requirements where Recoup solutions can support. We have worked previously with various organisations to install WWHRS across both new build and social housing.

What sets your business apart from its competitors?

Recoup stands out through its retrofit- focused WWHRS range, supported by proven, real-world solutions that directly meet the needs of housing providers. We provide dedicated technical support for installers and specifiers, and hold strong relationships with house builders, merchant partners and social housing providers across both retrofit and new build.

 

How does your company contribute positively to the communities it operates in?

Recoup delivers practical WWHRS that cut energy bills, reduce carbon emissions and support housing upgrade programmes, helping to improve living standards and tackle fuel poverty, while creating sustainable homes.

What will be the key areas of focus for your business over the next 12 months?

Increasing support for social housing providers to achieve their decarbonisation and housing upgrade objectives, alongside raising awareness and education around the benefits and practical application of WWHRS across the sector.

What are the biggest challenges currently facing the housing sector?

The housing sector is facing growing pressure from ageing housing stock, rising energy costs, and the need to meet net-zero targets. These challenges are compounded by skills shortages and the need for solutions that are both scalable and practical. WWHRS helps address this by offering a cost-effective, non-invasive solution.

What are the biggest challenges currently facing your company and your supply chain partners?

One of our main challenges is scaling up without compromising quality. We aim to meet this challenge by providing ongoing installer training and education to ensure WWHRS is specified and installed correctly, while continuing to deliver a high standard of customer and technical support.

Are there any recent innovations or developments in your business that excite you?

One of the most exciting developments is the Heat Deck integrated shower tray, which represents a genuine innovation in the industry. As a first-of-its-kind solution, integrating wastewater heat recovery directly into a shower tray itself, makes installation simple and non-disruptive.

If you were Housing Minister for the day, what would you change?

I would introduce a long-term, clearly funded decarbonisation programme for social housing providers, giving them certainty and confidence to plan and deliver upgrades at scale.
I would also heavily invest in upskilling new people across the construction and installation sector, ensuring the workforce is in place to deliver these programmes.
Alongside this I would place a strong focus on tackling fuel poverty, prioritising proven, cost-effective systems that support tenants by reducing energy use and lowering bills.

Can you tell us an interesting fact about your organisation?

Recoup was one of the first UK companies to adopt a four-day working week, designed to reflect work-life balance and improved productivity. We are also one of the first UK companies to achieve Gold status, with the Supply Chain Sustainability School (SCSS), highlighting Recoup’s leadership in being a responsible and sustainable business, we have always championed remote, virtual events and presentations, reducing travel, lowering carbon impact and supporting more flexible and accessible ways of working and engaging with our clients.