Warranty

1956: In 1956 the electricity industry launched the “Live Better Electrically” (LBE) campaign, featuring a
young Ronald Reagan touting the benefits of clean electricity, with the goal of converting American
homes to 100% electric power.
1958: By 1958, electric heat was seen as a new frontier. Robert E. Wilson, founder of King Electrical MFG
Co. wanted to be part of this new revolution and saw the opportunity to bring high quality all electric
heating products to the market. Typical heating systems (coal, oil, and kerosene) were usually dirty, smoky
and smelled terrible. Electric heat was the new, clean, flameless heating system, eliminating foul-smelling
fuels and requiring no maintenance. After a successfully landing a military housing contract to outfit
5,000 military family homes, King’s electric baseboard heater was born. The public embraced it and millions of homes replaced their
huge basement furnace with small baseboard heaters under the windows.
1963: Business was booming and soon KING outgrew its small factory location in South Park,
a south Seattle suburb. Seattle had just hosted the 1962 World’s Fair giving millions of
Americans their first look at the Pacific Northwest. After the fair one of the international
pavilion buildings was moved to a lot close to KING; offices were added and the new KING
factory was born.
1968: By 1968, over 30 different manufacturers of electric heat had launched into the business. Many
innovations came and went, but only the strongest would survive. King introduces the KB unit heater and
KCC cabinet heater product lines.
1970s: KING continued to expand distribution by adding warehouses across the United States to expedite
delivery to a rapid growing market share. The international market steadily increased and several large
distributors were set up in Canada, South America, and various other countries. King introduces the KFS
electric furnace product line.
1984: The first small fan heaters (W series) were developed, again shifting the way Americans heat their homes. With improved air
circulation and a compact design, these heaters were quickly becoming the industry standard.
1986: Everything changed with the invention of the Pic-A-Watt
®
series of heaters. A new class of
heaters, that allowed customers to select the exact wattage, tailoring the heater to an area’s
specific heating requirements. An industry first.
1999: King develops and introduces the soon to be patented Smart Limit Protection (SLP) safety
limit. The safety standard of the industry today.
2007: A big year for KING. Dean Wilson, is named CEO and daily management of the business is now run by brothers Dean, Brad and RJ
Wilson. As most competitors move production offshore, KING makes the decision to significantly invest in new automated equipment to
keep production in the USA. The C5 Tourette press is purchased allowing for 24/7 sheet metal production. King introduces line of
electronic thermostats, the first thermostats in the market designed and built by a heating manufacturer.
2008: KING Electric expands product line to include fan-forced hydronic heating.
2010: Construction is finished on 40 sqft warehouse and distribution center in
Seattle, WA. King launches comprehensive line of Electric Heating Cables.
2013: King launches new industry leading line of Garage Heaters, effectively
creating a new category for the electric heat market. King purchases second C5
machine, effectively doubling sheet metal production capacility.
2015: KING launches EcoIQ 2-Stage unit heaters – Rugged Unit Heater. Smart Controls. KING launches the ATMOS, Bluetooth enabled
thermostats for line voltage heaters. After more than 55 years of manufacturing high-quality American-made electric heaters, we can not
forget our partners in the field that make KING what it is today. To all of the electrical distributors and electricians that have supported us
over the years, we say Thank You.
A Brief History