Selling Air Coolers to Iceland!

A North West company is cashing in on global warming, by exporting air coolers and fans to Iceland where temperatures can reach as low as -30ºC.

St Helens based Prem-I-Air Ltd has so far sent £100,000 worth of equipment to the land of the glaciers.

And boss Paul Greeough is not resting on his laurels – his £14m-turnover company now has its sights on arctic Russia.

Chief Executive Paul said: ‘It sounds like sending sand to Arabia or coal to Newcastle, but we don’t mind the jokes. Extremes are good news for us – climate change means good business.’

‘When we tell people we are sending fans to Iceland they think we are kidding, but people thought that 20 years ago when we started providing air conditioning for properties in Manchester. It is purely global warming. The fact is that the temperatures are changing in Iceland’.

Temperatures can be as low as -30ºC in winter, but in summer hit 24ºC.

Paul added: ‘So far this year Iceland hit 20ºC and they are not yet at the height of their summer.’

‘They need air conditioning to cool down because they don’t know what heat is’.

‘We are exporting portable air conditioners, evaporative coolers, which give a cooling effect – like standing at the seaside and feeling the fine spray from the sea on your face – and air purifiers too.

‘They need the purifiers because, although their hot water is generated naturally, when it comes out of the taps it smells of sulphur.’

Last week, Paul was chasing more business in Moscow.

‘The image of life there is people in long coats and snow. In the winter the temperatures can reach -20ºC, but last week it was 30ºC’, he said. A distributor based in Reykjavik located Paul’s company on the internet, and approached EHS last year. They signed a deal in December and EHS began shipping there this year.

EHS is seeking to build it’s own overseas presence from 10 countries to more than 30. The business employs 45 staff and supplies air conditioners, coolers, fans, dehumidifiers and air purifiers under the brand name Prem-I-Air. It’s customers include retailers, installers, companies and householders. It turned over £14m in the year to last September and posted pre tax profits of £250,000.