Heat Pumps 23
Matthew Thompson took the helm of his family business, Thompson Heating & Plumbing Ltd over 7 years ago. With the company being a big advocate of renewables, it is no wonder that when Matt started refurbishing a new family home in Duns Tew village, he chose to move away from fossil fuels.
Under the partnership Fleetsolve will represent the MAN industrial brand as service partner and distributor of MAN parts in the UK via Fleetsolve’s Wirral based office and its five regional service centres around the UK, as well as the UK customer services centre.
Comprising 18 videos divided into three playlists, the videos have been developed to assist both heating engineers and end-users.
The webinars, hosted by OFTEC and in partnership with MCS, consist of three short sessions developed in response to feedback from technicians and will primarily focus on heat pump technologies.
Mixergy, the smart hot water tank company, has upgraded its entire range of hot water cylinders to allow them to operate with a heat pump at any point during their working life. Once fitted, the multi-use cylinders, which can be used with a gas boiler, mains electricity or solar PV, now give consumers the option to install a heat pump without having to replace the tank.
Whilst the Green Homes Grant has come in for a great deal of criticism, and has struggled to attract installers, partly because of the terms and conditions, and partly because of the apparent failings in its administration, the scheme has successfully raised consumer awareness of heat pump technology to a level that no other intervention to date has achieved.
The National Gas Centre for Excellence (NGCFE) has opened the doors of its 6,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art centre in Featherstone, West Yorkshire to tackle the national shortage in qualified heating engineers with high-quality training focused on the needs of the installers and engineers.
Over £165 million of Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) funding has been awarded since the scheme opened for applications in 2019. The most recent recipient is Kent County Council who has secured £2,478,000 to support the development of a low carbon heat network in Maidstone.
The Heat Pump Association (HPA), which represents around 95% of the heat pump manufacturing market share, has surveyed its members to estimate the supply of heat pumps in 2021. This has revealed that manufactures have placed orders with their supply chains to deliver a total of 67,000 units in 2021. This equates to a nearly double the number of heat pumps on shelves and in warehouses ready for installers to meet the growing consumer demand.
While hydrogen certainly offers great potential, it’s often overlooked that it is untested technology at present and, meanwhile, the clock is ticking.
“The UK also lacks the manufacturing capacity to switch to heat pumps for new builds. Current housing new builds is running at an annual completion level of 177,980 units, but there is only one UK manufacturer of Air Sourced Heat Pumps, Mitsubishi in Scotland, with a capacity of 3,000 units per year. Almost all gas boilers fitted in the UK are built here, so we would be closing a successful UK manufacturing sector to import an inferior overseas product.”
Panasonic are currently offering installers £800 and their customers an additional £600 as part of their Green Install Cashback Scheme and Green Homes Cashback scheme.
The government has re-stated its commitment to rolling out heat pump technologies across the UK housing stock
To remedy a problem that’s only going to become ever more prevent as heat pumps proliferate, Grant UK have released five new slimline hot water cylinders.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has produced another insightful piece of work with their Sixth Carbon Budget Report.
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has recommended that the heat pump market is scaled up over the next 10 – 15 years in advance of a fossil fuel phase out of boiler installations in 2033. By 2030, heat pump sales must reach over 1 million per year in new and existing homes.
MCS launches new partnership with the Independent Warranty Association (IWA) to ease access to insurance backed guarantees (IBG)
Following the government’s announcement to significantly ramp up heat pump installations between now and 2028, LG has seen a surge in interest for their Therma V range of heat pumps, which are considered to be an easy transition for installers looking to either make the switch from traditional gas boiler fitting, or to add another string to their bow.
The Government’s commendable plan to install 600,000 per year by 2028 has come under fire from both OFTEC and the Gas User Organisation, who have highlighted significant cost disparities between heat pumps and traditional technologies, along with confusion over what constitutes a ‘zero carbon ready’ home. Andrew Newman, technical director of the Gas Users Organisation, explains:
“There are positive commitments in the 10-point plan towards future use of hydrogen as a green gas, and we need more clarity from the Westminster government that hydrogen-ready gas boilers are considered to be a ‘zero carbon ready’ option, as they should be, and therefore permissible in new builds after 2025. Gas central heating is incredibly popular with customers, because it is clean, convenient and relatively cheap. Furthermore, there is a strong correlation that shows that homes that lack a connection to the gas grid are more likely to be in fuel poverty.”
Phil Hurley, managing director of NIBE UK commented; “The annual total for installations is 30,000 currently, so a massive ramp up is needed as well as up-skilling of existing plumbers and heating engineers to achieve the numbers needed for net zero targets.”
Leading boiler manufacturer, Baxi Heating UK and Ireland, part of BDR Thermea Group, has promised to revolutionise the way we heat our homes and buildings. The announcement coincides with the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and places Baxi Heating at the heart of the ‘heating transformation’ that is required to achieve the UK’s climate targets.
The Heat Pump Association has released a revolutionary report outlining the steps that the UK Government must take to shape future policy and decarbonise the heating industry.
MCS have collaborated with the Independent Warranty Association (IWA) and undertaken system development to enable contractors to raise an IBG for their consumer at the point of raising the MCS certificate for an installation.
A survey conducted by MCS has revealed that almost half of their certified contractors believe that the Green Homes Grant should be extended to 18 months or more.