Making the change starts at home

Why don’t you show how gas engineers are really responding to the energy crisis, Will Jenkins asked us? Great idea, we said, and here he talks to Registered Gas Engineer about the work he’s been carrying out in his own home to reduce his reliance on gas.

We all know that low-carbon technologies can help the UK move away from burning gas to heat and power its homes. And we know that gas engineers will be at the very heart of this shift away from traditional heat systems. So what better way to really find out what work is involved, how it works and the benefits and drawbacks than to do it to your own property first?

That’s what Will Jenkins has been doing. The gas engineer from Malvern, Worcestershire, lives in a 1930s detached house with solid walls. It’s typical of millions of homes that will need to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels if the UK is to reach its net-zerocarbon ambition. “I’m trying it out on my own house first because it’s not the most promising house, so it’s ideal [for a trial],” he says.

Will is keen to point out that gas will still be a part of the UK’s energy mix for some time to come but there are steps that can be taken now to reduce carbon emissions and still stay cosy and warm.

Home trials

He’s been taking a whole-house approach to energy efficiency since he moved in a couple of years ago, using his own home as a trial. First up – or rather, first down – were the chimneys. They had to be removed so that they didn’t cast any shadow on the solar PV array that’s up on the roof.

Now the roof has eight solar PV panels providing 3.2kW of power into the property via an inverter. That’s enough to run low loads, such as TV and lights. “But people’s demands tend to have higher peaks than what an inverter can deliver. So when you put the kettle on, it might not cover it. And generally, once you put something like an induction hob on, you will need to draw electricity from the grid.”

That’s why going fully off-grid is generally not possible, he says – yet. “We are installing systems so that people can store and offset and use their power in the evening.”

Will’s house is still heated via a gas boiler. But the old gas fire came out when the chimneys were removed and was replaced with a new flueless catalytic gas fire. And next on the to-do list may be a heat pump. ■

Will set up his plumbing and heating company JEGS around five years ago. He’s a Gas Safe registered sole trader covering the areas around Worcester, Ledbury and Leominster, providing a full range of gas heating services including installation and servicing.

He’s also a qualified electrician and founded SolarHome, the trading name of EV Miles Ltd, in 2019 with a partner. The company focuses on low-carbon, low-energy products, and has a healthy customer order book, he says. “My wife and I try to be as green as possible and it seems to be the direction of travel. I’m getting enquiries from customers who want a whole-house refit.

“We’re going through MCS certification and we have a number of installs going on at the moment. Then we will be able to hand them over with the necessary documentation so that customers can feed their energy back into the grid and get 15p per kW/h.”