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Mountain peaks. The history of the Hoval brand.

Even the Alps started off small. Like the mountain range at the heart of Europe, Hoval has grown into a firmly established entity: diverse, prominent, extraordinary. A look back reveals a fascinating history. We see a small metalworking shop in Vaduz, ground-breaking inventions and far-reaching decisions.

1932
1942
1945
1946
1953
1955
1957
1957-1967
1960
1967
1967
1968
1970
1976
1979
1982
1984
1987
1993
1994
1999
2001
2001-2004
2004
2005
2006
2006-2008
2007
2008
2010
2011
2013
2014

1932

Gustav Ospelt obtains the authorisation to build heating systems.

1942

The cornerstone is laid: a simple stove gives rise to a central heating system. Gustav Ospelt patents his idea and the EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and technology) confirms its high efficiency in a test report for the first time.

1945

The "Hoval" brand is registered. The name stands for Heating equipment construction Ospelt Vaduz Liechtenstein.

1946

First internationalisation with the establishment of companies in Austria and Switzerland.

1953

The first boiler with an integrated hot water tank, the Hovaltherm, nicknamed "the rocket", revolutionises the European boiler market.

1955

A licence agreement with the Friedrich Krupp steel company for steel boilers generates rapid growth and opens up the German market for Hoval.

1957

Construction of the "Neugut" site in the Vaduz industrial zone. Since then, this has been the headquarters of the Hoval group of companies.

1957-1967

During this decade, companies are founded in Great Britain and Italy, and additional favourable licence agreements are signed.

1960

The first compact combination boiler with separate combustion chambers for liquid, gaseous and solid fuels is ready for the market – in eight different versions.

1967

The first high-performance water heater, Modul-plus, still guarantees the highest levels of hot water comfort today, perfoming superbly under fluctuating peak requirements while meeting the most stringent water hygiene specifications.

1967

Hoval celebrates a milestone: the 100,000th boiler leaves the Vaduz works. In all of Europe, 350,000 Hoval boilers have already been built by this time.

1968

Hoval receives its first heating surfaces patent, called the "Fischgratrohr", or "fish-bone tube", which achieves enormous gains in heat transfer and therefore in efficiency. Further heating surface patents follow in 1972 and 1979.

1970

Expansion of the product spectrum to include industrial ventilation units and aluminium plate heat exchangers for heat recovery in climate control and ventilation systems and in processing technology.

1976

Introduction of a decentralised device for ventilating industrial halls with heat recovery. Use of this device reduces heating energy needs by up to 60 percent.

1979

Registration of a trend-setting patent: the self-cleaning thermolytic heating surface. An entire series of small and medium-sized boilers is named for the Hoval achievement: their names end in "Lyt".

1982

Hoval starts a development project with Ruhrgas Deutschland for gas premix burners. These burners guarantee particularly low levels of pollutants during combustion. The new development enters into series production in 1986 under the name of Ultraclean®.

1984

Hoval develops a unique vortex air distributor, the Air-Injector, for even greater efficiency in the ventilation and heating of industrial halls.

1987

With the wood gasification boiler, Hoval introduces gasification technology for biomass. The three-stage combustion method soon becomes the market standard.

1993

Research on the most efficient condensing technology culminates in the patented Hoval aluFer®, a heat exchanger with an integrated aluminium microstructure. Energy efficiency, cost savings and a long service life are only some of the advantages of a whole generation of gas condensing units, which first went into series production in 1994.

1994

The patented technology of the first Hoval recirculation cooling unit makes cost-effective heating and cooling of high spaces possible with just one device.

1999

Hoval launches the MultiJet® oil condensing boiler, with a revolutionary heating surface. Its technology with jet inserts achieves optimal heat transfer levels, resulting in excellent efficiency, very quiet running and an exceptionally compact design.

2001

The use of alternative energies enters a new dimension with the development of the horizontal tube burner for pellet boilers. Efficient, compact, reliable and comfortable – these words describe the conversion of wood to heat by the BioLyt series (2005).

2001-2004

Hoval expands its worldwide sales network to include its own branch offices in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

2004

Hoval develops a special sorption coating for thermal wheels, which transfers not only heat but also humidity. This technology creates a constant, pleasant indoor climate and superb living comfort by means of ventilation systems featuring cooling or humidity control, such as the HomeVent® controlled home ventilation system.

2005

After over 20 years of doing business in China, Hoval establishes its first sales company in Asia.

2006

UltraOil®, the first oil condensation unit based on the aluFer® heat exchanger, goes into series production. Today, this is a highly successful product group that generates power outputs of 16 – 200 kilowatts.

2006-2008

The newest Hoval sales companies open their doors in Romania, Spain, France and Croatia.

2007

Environmentally friendly cooling with refrigerant-free recirculation, not only reducing water consumption but achieving maximum adiabatic efficiency levels.

2008

Hoval invests in the production of heat pumps with Wärmepumpen GmbH in Matrei (WPM), East Tyrol.

2010

Hoval introduces a new business sector of heat transfer stations and combined heat and power plants.

2011

New design for the Hoval product range: The colour red, dynamic lines and new and improved functions show a strong self-confidence.

Two new subsidiaries join the Hoval family: Bulgaria and Singapore.

2013

Hoval builds a modern production plant at its headquarters in Vaduz for the new solar thermal collector range Hoval Ultrasol.
The new collector range has all the technical credentials. Moreover, it's really got the look too. Slim and sleek, it comes with an aluminum profile that is barely visible and provides a seamless collector area and a uniformed look on the roof.

2014

Hoval opens a new subsidiary in Denmark to service all Scandinavian countries.