A company with more than sixty years of tradition lives with the technical, aesthetic, economic and social realities of that time. The products, their appearance and their function change accordingly. Only those who can adapt to these processes are successful. With all changes, one basic attitude connects all decades:
Innovative technical solutions in an aesthetic design, noble materials in sophisticated craftsmanship.
1954 | The stove fitter and master potter Josef Hilpert and his wife Elfriede found the company in Fulda. You have dedicated yourself to art ceramics: flower vases, candlesticks, ashtrays. Decorative vases based on ancient models met the taste of the times. Candlesticks were particularly popular, as Fulda was the center of the German wax industry at the time. But it remained an arduous business. Handmade stove tiles were also part of the production program. And since the old profession of potter included the modern professions of ceramist and stove maker, the construction of tiled stoves and warm air heating was part of the range of services offered by the young company from the very beginning.
1957 | After starting out in rented premises, they move into their own new building. The old "Goliath Tricycle" had already a lot behind it when its successor took over the service. The new "Goli" even managed steep mountain roads in the Rhön and was a big step forward for the small business. In addition to the tiled stove, the open fireplace with all its design options became an important pillar of the company
1978 | After years in which more and more tiled stoves were sacrificed to oil-fired hot water central heating, the shock of the oil crisis came. One remembered the advantages of the good old tiled stove: Cozy warmth from local renewable raw materials. The great demand could hardly be met. Hilpert made stove tiles at full speed.
1982 | Son Helmut Hilpert joins the company after studying and “years of traveling”. A completely new facility is built and occupied in the Fulda-West industrial park. Unconventional paths are taken when designing tiled stoves. The Concept tile series is developed based on the "cozy stove" and enables modern design for the tiled stove and fireplace. Ovens leave their rectangular cube shape from individual relief tiles of the same type and become diverse cubic bodies that are composed of matching ceramic moldings.
1992 | A new thought: "The principle of cozy, warm, healthy thermal radiation must also be transferable to other areas of application". If you turn the tiled stove upside down, a warming room is created, which was already used as a tepidarium or caldarium in ancient times. A new business area was discovered: thermal baths for high demands. With the awareness of wellness and health that arose at the time, the market for the corresponding products emerged at the same time.
2008 | Around fifty employees work in the traditional company in the west of Fulda. They manufacture the richly shaped ceramics for thermal baths, tiled stoves and chimneys. Together with you, Helmut Hilpert plans and implements complete facilities, individual rooms or objects to relax and regenerate.
Nobody knows today which products in which design will be needed in a few years. However, the company's philosophy remains to serve discerning customers with creative ideas and excellent craftsmanship.
Hilpert develops and implements intelligent concepts | Warmth is part of feeling good. Modern wellness landscapes therefore offer the most varied types of thermal baths. Energy is required to bring the sauna, steam bath, etc. up to temperature. Foresight in planning, construction and operation helps to reduce energy consumption. The experienced thermal spa specialist Hilpert takes this into account in the run-up to a project. Therefore, economy and ecology go "hand in hand" in the spas he has created.
"Energy efficiency starts with the planning", states Dipl.-Ing. Helmut Hilpert, Managing Director of Hilpert GmbH & Co. KG, said, “An intelligent concept initially takes into account the orientation of the building according to the cardinal points. Then it puts the proposed offer to the test: Is a swimming pool really necessary, for example? ”Once the type and number of functional rooms have been determined, he arranges them so that the warm rooms are as close as possible to one another and preferably not border on the outer wall of the building. The experienced planner also ensures that the outer surfaces of the cabins are as small as possible in order to keep heat loss low.
In addition, the dimensions of the cabins need to be well thought out. Because the size of a sauna increases its energy consumption. As in all other buildings, good thermal insulation helps to reduce heating costs. The amount of electrical energy used for heating should be as low as planned. There are good alternatives: saunas can be heated with wood, for example, and tecaldariums can be operated with pellet heating. In addition, there are heat recovery systems that collect the energy and feed it back into the cabin. You should not save on the amount of air that is circulated during the process, because it contributes significantly to the pleasant sauna climate.
Potential savings in spa operations
Steam bath energy efficiency scheme “Energy savings can also be achieved when operating the spa,” says Hilpert. A swimming pool cover, for example, reduces heat loss.
The steam bath can be maintained in an energy-efficient manner in accordance with the operating times. It is kept constant at the operating temperature by the hot water heating of the building. The steam itself is generated electrically. In the case of smaller systems, an on-demand control is available. The steam is then available with a few minutes' waiting time and only when it is actually needed.
"For smaller systems, it is also advisable to use smaller whirlpool tubs instead of a whirlpool that is permanently available, in which the water is changed after each bath," advises Hilpert, "This way a spa can react flexibly to current needs."
Environmentally friendly production
The corporate philosophy includes the responsible use of natural resources. That is why Hilpert not only plans and builds energy-efficient spas for discerning customers at home and abroad, but also works with environmentally friendly systems. Naturally, the Fulda ceramic company has a waste water recycling plant. The kilns of the manufactory are arranged centrally so that their warmth can radiate into the surrounding rooms. "We also recover a large part of the heat from the stove and feed it into the heating circuit in the office," reports Hilpert. Intelligent operational planning shortens routes and reduces energy losses.
Photovoltaic systems generate electricity on the roofs of the company premises. A CO2-neutral wood heating system supplies the exhibition rooms with cozy warmth. Waste from the production process - such as clay and glazes - is fed back into the system. The employees also reuse packaging materials.
You will find beautiful stoves and fireplaces for a cozy home in our Rüegg Studio. Whether fired with wood or gas - we know many ways that combine ecology and economy. The fireplace inserts from the Swiss manufacturer Rüegg offer numerous solutions for this. The stove tiles from our own manufactory open up a wide range of options for individual design. That is why Hilpert's objects are always unique and underline the style of the respective house.
The exhibition shows a wide variety of objects, from the classic tiled stove, through the tile surface heating, the fireplace, the fireplace to the open fireplace.
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Mon-Thu: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fri: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
You are welcome to arrange a viewing appointment with us outside of these times.
