News

Vaillant provides hydrogen village data

Vaillant’s hydrogen boiler is set to provide valuable data in the next stage of the hydrogen trials, fitted in a number of homes in South Bank, Middlesbrough.

The trials, part of H21 and led by Northern Gas Networks, are taking place in a purpose-built facility using existing underground gas pipework.

The 100 per cent hydrogen boiler was developed at Vaillant’s German HQ in Remscheid. Using the data and insight collected at the South Bank site, Vaillant Group will examine practicalities such as gas tightness and purging through to installation needs. The results will be used to inform industry regulations in the future.

The demonstration will form the foundations of the next stage of the government’s commitment to rolling out a hydrogen village by 2025. The village is expected to convert up to 2,000 occupied homes and commercial buildings with 100 per cent hydrogen for a minimum of 12 months.

Winner

The winner of our June competition was Brian Luckhurst from Wakefield. He will receive a prize bundle from PipeSnug. Congratulations!

John wins national Heating Installer Award

John Cruickshank of Cruickshank Plumbing and Heating in Bexley, south-east London, was named National Heating Installer Awards Winner 2022 at the Heating Installer Awards.

John was chosen from hundreds of entries and after a judging day where a panel of industry experts shortlisted the entries, a peer-reviewed technical challenge and a record number of public votes. He impressed the judges and the public with his high level of technicality, outstanding professionalism, and commitment to the industry and his customers.

John receives prizes from the awards’ partners, which include a trip to Danfoss’s headquarters in Denmark, and prizes from sponsors Armacell, LG, Polypipe and Stelrad.

John says: “I am delighted to have been recognised as the best Heating Installer 2022. I have seen so many incredible winners come before me and it is a real honour for me to now be standing among them.

“This is the first time I have entered the competition and it has been an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding experience, not to mention the benefits it has had for my business.”

Damon Blakemore of Blakemore Plumbing Heating Renewables from Sheffield, claimed the runner-up spot, and Josh Bentley from Bradford scooped the Rising Star award, which recognises budding apprentices.

The Most Sustainable Installer Award went to Alan Dean Marcon from Green and Reliable Heating in Harrogate.

Gas engineers are split over installing heat pumps, says Baxi

The transition to low-carbon heating is at a tipping point, with gas engineers divided over whether they will be installing heat pumps. That’s the main finding of a report from Baxi that assesses what would encourage engineers to take the leap to low-carbon sources of heat.

The research found that nearly one-third are prepared to embrace heat pumps in the near future. But around 30 per cent say they are extremely unlikely to install them.

The government’s targeting of 600,000 heat pump installations every year by 2028 will require an army of low-carbon heating installers to help homeowners and encourage them to make the change.

Among the main findings in the report, Heating Installers: Taking the Leap to a Low Carbon Future, are that the government and the industry will need to address the important issue of training costs, ensuring that there is enough demand from customers, and reducing paperwork.

On training costs, 39 per cent said they would be more likely to install heat pumps if they received help with the costs. They currently pay the full cost of training and forgo work in order to receive heat pump training

Additionally, 56 per cent say customer demand needs to be addressed; 38 per cent are concerned about lack of government support for the market, and 44 per cent want support to reduce the burden of paperwork, for example, in applying for government assistance schemes

Karen Boswell, managing director of Baxi UK & Ireland, says: “Installers will play an important role as we decarbonise the nation’s heating and it will be vital that the government and industry support them with the right information, incentives and training.

“They will need to be advocates for low-carbon sources of heat and recommend to the nation’s homeowners that they should make the leap to a heat pump. To achieve this, we will need to address their concerns, support them with training, and explain more clearly the financial and non-financial benefits of these appliances.”

The report’s recommendations include spelling out stronger government initiatives to drive demand for heat pumps over the coming decade; support for training costs; and an industrywide campaign to market the role of low-carbon heating installer to attract new entrants.

First Environment 2050 winner named

Paul Thirlwall is the first-quarter winner of Worcester Bosch’s Environment 2050 competition. The competition recognises professionals who act sustainably and make informed choices when it comes to upgrading or installing heating appliances.

Paul, from PT Plumbing & Heating Ltd in Hereford, says: “Living and working sustainably, to me, is crucial. The future of the industry and the wider world depends on sustainability being prioritised. You only have to look around to see the impact non-renewable fuels have made on the planet.

“I’ve been self-employed for the past year since I launched PT Plumbing & Heating Ltd, so the timing of the competition win has been great for me, and hopefully will be a nice boost for my business.”

The competition continues and you can find out more at:

www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/ professional/ environment-2050

Cut down on admin with Fergus

Trades software Fergus is now available in the UK. It’s designed to save time on time on admin, created by plumber Dan Pollard to solve problems that had plagued his business for years.

Used by more than 18,000 tradespeople in eight countries, Fergus provides heating and plumbing businesses with access to software tools to organise their business. The Fergus app ensures healthy finances and that you get paid quickly and tracks labour and materials back to the job in real time, helping to ensure that each job is profitable.

“We exist to make your lives better, freeing up time you would otherwise have to spend on business admin,” says James Chillman, UK country manager. “Most tradespeople are still using manual, often paper-based systems and processes to manage their business. This ultimately leads to poor cashflow, lower profits and significant stress on the business owner.

“Fergus is designed specifically for the trade and has all the built in user-friendliness you would expect.”

www.fergus.com

Get up close and personal with Navien training

Navien’s free one-day training sessions are designed to keep you up to date with recent developments in its products, as well giving you a giveaway pack to take home worth £300.

The face-to-face training takes place across the UK, providing insight into the LCB700 oil and NCB domestic gas boiler ranges. The course covers topics including an outline of the oil range and its key components; parameters on the control panel, adjusting the oil pump and measuring combustion; plus essential service and maintenance information.

Training on NCB domestic gas boilers covers its control panel and key parameters, service process and essential maintenance information. Each dedicated section is designed to expand your knowledge of the oil and gas boiler line-up and provide a comprehensive overview of features and benefits.

The course also includes a demonstration of Navien’s Smart Plus controllers, including how to monitor domestic hot water usage, supply/return water temperatures and the eco function.

www.navien.co.uk/training

Panasonic heat pumps get Wiser

Panasonic is now offering Drayton’s Wiser heating control system with its heat Aquarea air source heat pumps.

The Wiser system can be fitted with Aquarea heat pumps to provide room-by-room heating control and simple home automation. Wiser can be set up in the usual way with the heat pump, creating multi-zone systems where heating is controlled remotely room by room. Users can then adjust the heating in each room through any web-enabled device.

Through the Panasonic Smart Cloud App users can access features such as scheduling and a detailed breakdown of the system’s energy consumption from 60 minutes to seven days. This helps to compare space utilisation and adjust the system so that energy is not wasted.

Home of Green Heating

With the Government’s decarbonisation target to achieve net zero by 2050, we’re here to support you.

We’re committed to helping you and your customers choose the right product today, while also providing you with the necessary training and knowledge to prepare your business for the future.

To discover the five key future technologies, please visit

worcester-bosch.co.uk/future-industry

ACS entry routes and changeover requirements

Changes are coming for newly qualified gas engineers who wish to add ACS competencies, writes the Strategic Management Board.

Guidance Note 8 (GN8) details the entry routes to ACS assessment and the requirements for extending scope or range of work. It is not intended to prevent or restrict engineers from extending their scope or range of work but to ensure consistency and provide practical guidance to assist compliance with GSIUR (Regulation 3 Qualification and Supervision) by ensuring that gas engineers do not undertake gas work on appliances or systems for which they have insufficient training and experience.

Following consultation with industry, GN8 has been amended and changes will be implemented on 1 September 2022.

The main change is to Note 2, which relates to engineers wishing to undertake additional ACS competencies: Before extending scope or range of work, gas engineers must provide evidence to the centre that they are Gas Safe registered and there has been a minimum duration of 12 months from completion of their qualification or core ACS.

Exceptions:

• Where an engineer extends scope or range with less than 12 months since completion of their qualification or core ACS, they will be required to show their Gas Safe registration and will be required to undertake an

MLP-Bridge via a recognised training provider, in accordance with the requirements of the relevant IGEM/IG/1 training specification. • Upon satisfactory completion of the MLP-Bridge, the engineer will be issued with a Certificate of Training or a Validation of

Training report by or on behalf of the Recogniser of Training. • Where an engineer holds

CCN1, they will be required to show their Gas Safe

Registration but will not require 12 months since completion of their qualification or core ACS before undertaking training and assessment for domestic metering competencies.

Note: An MLP-Bridge is a derivative of an approved Managed Learning Programme (MLP) for engineers who are extending scope or range with less than 12 months from completion of their qualification or core ACS.

The increase in time from six to 12 months is being introduced so that new entrants to the industry can gain experience in their core competency before extending scope or range (eg, moving from domestic to non-domestic competencies or adding appliance competencies).

Where an engineer has a requirement to extend scope or range within the 12-month period, this can still be done by completing specified training (an MLP-Bridge taken from an IGEM/IG/1 specification) via a recognised training provider prior to taking ACS. This is to ensure that appropriate off-site and on-site training with portfolio is completed by those lacking experience.

The full guidance Note 8 is at:

www.euskills.co.uk/about/ our-industries/gas/

The Strategic Management Board is the scheme owner for ACS and IGEM/IG/1 (Standards of training in gas work). Its members include the Standard Setting Body provider, Energy & Utility Skills, Plumbing & Heating Skills Partnership, Gas Safe Register, awarding organisations, and the chair of the Standards Consultation Forum (SCF) involved in providing routes to Gas Safe registration.

Calor looks to renewable fuel

Calor is investing in infrastructure to supply Futuria DME, a fuel made from renewable and recycled carbon. It’s also known as renewable DME (DimethylEther) and Calor says it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85 per cent compared with diesel and oil.

Futuria DME can be made from solid municipal waste via gasification, from waste and renewable feedstocks, or renewable electricity. It is chemically similar to LPG and is easily and safely transported as a liquid in pressurised cylinders and tanks.

Teesworks in the North-east of England will be the site of the UK’s first commercial rDME plant, with production expected to start in 2024. Over the next five years, Calor will demonstrate the use of Futuria DME across its off-grid customer base, and scale up production.

“We believe Futuria DME has significant potential to help us achieve our ambitions to be a leader in sustainable energy,” says Alastair Lovell, Calor’s head of sustainable fuels.

“As attention on the ways businesses can reduce their impact on the environment rightly intensifies, we remain committed to delivering our customers with the sustainable fuel options of today and tomorrow.”

New heads at EUA

Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) has announced a new president and vice-president for the trade body. Bob Murray, managing director of Skewb Industry, Communities and CSR, becomes president, and Martyn Bridges, director of Marketing and Technical Support at Worcester Bosch, becomes vice-president.

Chief executive Mike Foster says: “Having served as president before, [Bob] has the experience and knowledge to assist EUA as we aid the UK’s transition to net zero. Together with Martyn Bridges, who has a wealth of technical and industry experience in the heating sector, they make a formidable team.”

Stelrad to acquire DL Radiators

Stelrad is to acquire Italian manufacturer DL Radiators.The acquisition extends Stelrad’s range, provides a complementary brand and increases its manufacturing capacity.

Stelrad CEO Trevor Harvey says: “This is a compelling transaction for Stelrad and allows us to grow our business through the provision of additional products and through geographical expansion.

“DL Radiators has strong brands with a significant customer base. Following completion of this transaction, Stelrad will be a market leader in six countries and hold a top three position in five more.”

DL Radiators will run its own business with oversight from Stelrad.

Current programmes will not deliver net zero, says climate committee

There is little evidence of the government achieving its net-zero goals so far, says the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in its most recent progress report to Parliament. The independent climate change advisor also finds major failures in delivery programmes and describes the approach as ‘high-wire’.

There are some bright spots of progress but in most areas the likelihood of under-delivery is high. CCC chairman Lord Deben said: “In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the country is crying out to end its dependence on expensive fossil fuels. I welcome the government’s restated commitment to net zero but holes must be plugged in its strategy urgently. The window to deliver real progress is short.”

Emissions rose by 4 per cent in 2021 as the economy began to recover from Covid-19 but were still 10 per cent below 2019 levels. UK emissions are now almost half (47 per cent) their 1990 levels.

Direction and delivery

The CCC says further progress must be led by policies with clear direction, credible delivery mechanisms and suitable incentives to shape private sector action. But this isn’t complete in any sector of the economy. Its report makes more than 300 recommendations for policies over the next year, reflecting the scale of the task.

The report says the areas with the strongest progress have been backed and led by well-designed policy: • Deployment of renewable electricity: emissions from electricity generation have fallen by nearly 70 per cent in the past decade. With offshore wind, business has shown that, given the right market conditions and support, it can cut costs dramatically and deploy low-carbon solutions rapidly. • Electric cars are being adopted in greater numbers each year. Their rise is already ahead of projections, showing that people are willing to adopt low-carbon options when offered a costeffective, good-quality product.

But low-carbon options remain in their infancy in other areas. Policy has not yet begun to guide the promised private-sector action in energy efficiency in homes. And, given soaring energy bills, there is a shocking gap in policy for better insulated homes. The government promised significant public spending in 2019 and committed to new policies last year but neither has yet occurred.

Much now rests on the promised energy advice service, which must be a major undertaking that reaches millions of households and supports them with options to cut their bills and emissions.

In its first comprehensive appraisal of UK’s Net Zero Strategy, the CCC warns that it will not deliver net zero in its current form. Credible government plans exist for over one-third of the UK’s required emissions reductions to meet the Sixth Carbon Budget in the mid-2030s. It adds that ‘with a fair wind we will manage another quarter’ – but more than one-third cannot be relied on to deliver the necessary emissions reductions.

The strategy contains warm words on the wider enablers of the transition but little progress, says the CCC. There is no public engagement strategy three years after the net-zero target was signed into law; the Treasury has yet to set out how the full range of costs and benefits of the transition will be shared; comprehensive reform of planning legislation is required to reflect the commitments to net zero; and we still await the urgently needed Future Homes Strategy. Bottlenecks, such as skills gaps and planning consents for infrastructure, should be anticipated and tackled early.

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