Project Heating Limited

Established in 1981, the business had developed a reputation in the South West for providing quality heating and plumbing installations. Customers are mainly commercial and public sector organisations, ranging from the University of Exeter to schools and businesses of all sizes.

“You have to look at the building and know how it is being used” says Managing Director, Rob McCarthy, explaining how they approach a new project.

The key is understanding what their customers want to achieve, alongside considerations such as the type of property and the fabric of the building. They manage all aspects of all the process, from design through to installation and maintenance, although the team also works with third parties such as architects.

In fact, a recent project at another church, this time in Kenton, was in conjunction with Historic England. This ‘beautiful building’ dates back to medieval times and Project Heating installed cast iron radiators in keeping with the property. They needed to work sensitively, navigating challenges such as the discovery of ancient medieval titles. The end result “Has transformed the place, it feels inviting” says Rob.

Of course, Project Heating also deals with more modern demands. Renewable energy systems such as biomass installations in schools and hotels, have become increasingly popular, although Rob feels this is largely driven by funding.

He is slightly sceptical about the push to switch to head pumps as “There are lots of houses that these wont work with”. Instead, he predicts that hydrogen will become an important energy resource as “The infrastructure (for gas) is already there”. In the meantime, his tip for customers wanting a ‘greener’ property is always ‘spend money on insulation’ first.

Business Advisors Who Go the Extra Mile 

Rob has been at Project Heating for many years, taking over as Managing Director when the previous owner retired. His first act was to find an alternative to their accountancy firm, as “It didn’t seem like they were offering value for money anymore – it felt like Project Heating had been left behind”.

“The best recommendation is talking to people” he says. “Simpkins Edwards’ name cropped up a few times and the fact that they had experience with the construction industry was important.”

Moving to a new firm “Wasn’t something I took lightly”. Rob met with Adrian Hemmings, Corporate Partner at Simpkins Edwards, and ‘immediately felt comfortable’ to appoint the firm to support the management buy-out process.

“I liked Adrian. A lot of these things are about the people” he notes. “He was there to guide me through the taking over of the business – it was a really smooth transition.”

Following this, Rob wanted to review Project Heating’s ‘archaic’ financial systems.

“We had a bespoke accounting package but it was expensive and disjointed” he says. “I’ll be honest, I was a little bit nervous about changing everything. I wanted to get it right.”

Simpkins Edwards proposed QuickBooks Online as an agile and comprehensive solution. Rob has been more than happy with the results. All the details he needs are “at my fingertips”, transforming the way he can use the company’s financial information.

Nick Feeney, Business Services Group Manager at Simpkins Edwards, provided training on the system. He also worked with Office Manager, Anni Fuller, to help customise this to meet Project Heating’s specific needs.

“Nick’s been absolutely brilliant, always there at the end of the phone,” says Annie. “We’ve been able to get the system so it’s working well for us.”

“I couldn’t access anything before,” says Rob. “If I needed anything it was always ‘ask Annie!’ But now I can click on a button and it will tell me who, what, when.”

Creating Successful Working Relationships

The COVID pandemic has meant Rob has only met the team at Simpkins Edwards face to face a couple of times, but he feels they’ve built an ‘excellent working relationship’.

He has been impressed with their communication, appreciating regular updates on the COVID situation in particular. “They’ve been really really good at interpreting the government advice and putting it in simple terms.”

Having access to different departments across the firm has also proved useful. “Nick has been our go-to man, but you build up relationships with more than one person as they all have their specialities,” he explains.

With QuickBooks Online in place and working for Project Heating, Simpkins Edwards can access up to date information to advise Rob on finance decision as necessary.

“Simpkins Edwards give me good, honest advice and safeguard my interests. They’ve got an understanding of us and how we operate,” Rob says.

“My goal was to simplify everything as it all felt a bit more hassle than it should be. This goal has been met – and then some. It’s been brilliant, it’s all worked.”