Heat Pumps – so hot right now!
The PM pledged to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028. Make no mistake, this is a massive win for installers and manufacturers alike, but it’s an ambitious plan that has been approached with both excitement and caution by industry figureheads. For more on this read our dedicated article here.
Energy Efficiency buildings – good news for insulation installers
Alongside the heat pumps pledge was a more general statement to ‘[make] our homes, schools and hospitals greener, warmer and more energy efficient’. Clearly, this cannot come from heat pumps alone and, as it’s well documented that heat pumps require a well-insulated property to work effectively, it’s likely to be a busy time ahead for installers retrofitting our many energy inefficient buildings with quality insulation.
EV & Solar PV – a perfect partnership?
With industry leading car manufacturing bases in the West Midlands, North East and North Wales the PM is keen to both ‘accelerate the transition to electric vehicles’ whilst also, ‘transforming our national infrastructure to better support electric vehicles.’ Upping charge points across the country is likely to form a large part of the ‘infrastructure’, but there’s plenty of scope for other industries to benefit. One of which is solar PV, which was conspicuous in it’s absence from Johnson’s plan, as highlighted by STA chief executive, Chris Hewett;
“It is disappointing that Number 10 has yet to grasp the opportunity presented by solar in the UK. Not only is it set to be the cheapest power source for years to come, it also provides good jobs and business opportunities up and down the country.”
Whilst the solar industry has other irons in the fire, notably a 15-year deal to fund a new solar park in London, the link up between electric vehicle charging and solar PV offers further possibilities. Even a small solar panel array with only 10 solar panels can provide enough power to charge a vehicle’s battery, and there are already products on the market that link the two together, such as the zappi eco-smart EV charger from myenergi, which can charge your car from solar, wind or the grid. Watch this space.
Hydrogen – the fuel of the future?
‘Aiming to generate 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 for industry transport, power and homes, and aiming to develop the first town heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade.’ Hydrogen clearly has a role to play in meeting our future energy targets. Quite what that is and how much reliance we place on it is still up in the air. However, in a first step towards Boris’s ‘town heated by hydrogen’, Worcester Bosch and Baxi Heating (who have also committed to Net Zero operations by 2030) have just finished installing hydrogen-burning boilers at ‘HyStreet’ as part of the H21 project. Whilst there is still speculation over the viability of hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas across the network, the good news for installers is that the hydrogen boilers are almost the same dimensions and operate in the same way as an ordinary gas condensing boiler and can be easily switched between natural gas and hydrogen with just a few adjustments.
Jobs – Time to make the transition?
One of the big talking points is the promise of some 250,000 jobs across everything from nuclear to wind to carbon capture. The PM’s pledge of 600,000 heat pumps by 2028 is ambitious and, to quote renewable industry expert, Tim Pollard “will require a very substantial training programme for installers and a massive commitment by the entire industry.” So, if you’ve been considering a career shift, looking to up-skill, or diversify your business, now’s the time to do so. Renewable Energy Installer’s affiliated company, Eleven Recruitment, is specialist in the energy industries and will be more than happy to chat through the options available to you.
Anything we’ve overlooked? Have your say on the PM’s 10-point plan. Email us your thoughts.