Variotherm Heating Systems - wall heating, wall cooling, floor heating, baseboards, ducted channel heating, created warmth, tiled stove, tepidaria, ceiling cooling

When Wilhelm Watzek founded Variotherm he had already been working for 15 years on alternatives to the conventional heating systems of the time.For his employers at the time, the "Metall & Erz" wholesale company, Wilhelm Watzek began to set up a department for the development and sale of baseboard heating in the year 1966.

He was familiar with baseboard technology from a trip he took to the USA - in America and Canada baseboard heating was widespread. Because this new technology initially met with considerable scepticism on the part of Austrian heating installation engineers, he developed a baseboard system which was perfectly developed for DIY installation.

The response from those building their own homes and DIY enthusiasts grew and grew, with the result that his department was soon moved to larger premises in the Trautmannsdorffgasse in Vienna's 13th District, where office and stores were now located under the same roof.

Inspired by the impressions and information he received on his US trip Wilhelm Watzek developed his own baseboards further and registered his first patents for the variable casing and for the attachment of heating fins. He then presented the baseboards he had developed to the general public at the Aquatherm fair in Wels. In the years 1978 and 1979 he had ambient climatic tests carried out with methods which were revolutionary at the time, and in this way he was able to demonstrate the positive influence of baseboards on ambient climate.

Because Wilhelm Watzek was fully convinced of the effectiveness of his baseboards, he risked the logical next step of founding his own company and, with great commitment and considerable risk, he founded Variotherm. The newly founded company had its head office in Vienna's 10th district, at Ettenreichgasse 16. This is where Variotherm began to produce baseboards on home-made machinery.The sales department and the office were under the same roof.

Apropos office: in the year 1980 Mrs Schermann, Variotherm's long-standing office manager, joined the company. During this period the company's founder and his son Alexander acquired vital new experience: in order to learn about stove production they did a training course with a master stove fitter.

This taught them not just the basic concept of stove production but also the advantages of radiant warmth. From this time on Variotherm recognised that in stove production, radiant warmth was something like the philosopher's stone, because it generates not only warmth but also comfort and well-being.

On the basis of this recognition the storage stone heated with warm water was developed and a patent was registered. In 1981 Variotherm received a further patent for a novel process for producing baseboards in which the aluminium heating fins were attached to a copper pipe.

Only a year later Variotherm received Austria's certificate of approval in recognition of the quality of its products. This period also saw initial export success to Germany. At the time the company's product range covered baseboards and heat storage stones for the production of tiled stoves, cosy benches and tepidaria.

In 1984/85 Variotherm was awarded a Europe-wide patent for its heat storage stone. At the same time the first prototypes of the System-Wall Heating were designed. All these successes awakened the interest of heating installation companies and the result was that Variotherm began selling more and more heating systems to heating engineers. In 1987 Alexander Watzek joined his father's company.

As early as 1987/1988 Variotherm began producing system wall heating with an active breathing base panel and a specially developed, heat-conducting ecologically-friendly heating plaster. This wall heating system was patented in 1991, making Variotherm one of the real pioneers in the history of the development of wall heating in Europe!

Because business with the baseboards and heat-storage stones was good, the premises in the Ettenreichgasse gradually became too small. As a result Variotherm acquired a site in Leobersdorf (40 km south of Vienna) and built its new, 700 m² headquarters. Since the company moved in 1993 this has been home to R and D, offices, production, and the measuring and documentation facility for all Variotherm's heating and cooling systems. This period also saw the launch of the company's ducted channel heating, which uses the patented heating elements as its core component.

In 1996 Variotherm achieved a decisive technological breakthrough in the form of the Varioclimate Pipe, which since that time has been at the heart of Variotherm's wall heating. With its special surface structure it guarantees optimum adhesion to the plaster and best possible heat transmission.In 1996 Variotherm achieved a decisive technological breakthrough in the form of the Varioclimate Pipe, which since that time has been at the heart of Variotherm's wall heating. With its special surface structure it guarantees optimum adhesion to the plaster and best possible heat transmission.

The pipe is also the core of Variotherm's low temperature floor heating, which was launched in 1997. For its new developments Variotherm received the innovation prize of the state of Lower Austria in each of the years 1994, 1998 and 2003. Since 1996 the company's System-Wall Heating has had the Austrian Institute for Building Biology's IBO test certificate. In 1995 the Variotherm sales strategy changed: sales to private customers were discontinued and since then its products have been distributed exclusively through trade partners.

However, Variotherm was not satisfied to rest on its laurels, but continued to develop its product range. For this purpose Hall 2 was erected, with its own test workshop. In 1998 the new, colourful "mini" baseboard range was launched on the market.

In 1999 Variotherm then rolled out a global innovation: the Variotherm Modular-Wall Heating. This was the first dry construction wall heating system with a multi-layer composite pipe. At the same time a Modul-Ceiling Cooling system was developed and patented, which added considerably to Variotherm's growing reputation as a specialist for heating AND cooling systems!

New management and new initiatives
In May 1999 Wilhelm Watzek began his well-earned retirement and his son, graduate engineer Alexander Watzek, took over the management.

In 2001 Variotherm presented a further worldwide innovation: its super flat Compact-Floor Heating system with an installation height of only 20 mm!

As the company's existing premises had now reached the limits of their capacity the decision was taken to build a new stores facility, which was erected in record time in the autumn.

In the spring of 2003 the company then began operations in the world's first production facility for construction panels with integrated heating pipes. This makes it possible to manufacture Modul wall heating and ceiling cooling panels and Kompakt floor heating elements much cheaper, faster and more flexibly than had previously been the case.

Then in 2003 the company presented its Created System Warmth; a new, flexible wall heating system for the construction of centrally heated tiled stoves, tepidaria and cosy benches.

In the year 2004 Variotherm employed it own workforce of 16, together with many more at numerous supplier companies. Variotherm heating and cooling systems are very much in demand and are distributed by partner companies in 14 countries, ranging from Latvia and Ireland in northern Europe to Spain and Italy in the south.

In the beginning was the baseboard The story of Variotherm's origins

In the beginning was the baseboard
The story of Variotherm's origins