Heat Pumps 39
Kingspan Renewables has scooped the Renewable Supplier of the Year award at the Plumb Center and Parts Center National Supplier Conference; an annual event recognising loyalty and excellence in service amongst their market-leading suppliers.
The award was presented by the conference’s guest speaker, England rugby star Austin Healey, and was collected by Kingspan Renewables managing director, Cameron Holroyd who commented: “We are very proud to have been recognised as a lead supplier in what is such an important growth sector. This further marks our commitment to delivering top-of-the-range renewable heating and hot water solutions that are custom-designed to suit each application and deliver the best results for distributors, installers and end-users alike.”
Renewable energy installation is a multi-faceted operation and the role of installer has ramped up. Not only is there training to undertake, legislation to adhere to and technology to keep abreast of, but there is the added responsibility of acting as advisor to the customer.
Amid the day-to-day running of a renewables business, it can be easy to overlook the needs of the consumer and assume they come to you fully armed with a battery of energy expertise. However, they may not know which technology best suits their needs, FiTs may be getting them in a flap and they may feel confused cutting through the cowboys to find a company they can trust. This is where the you come in – it’s important to know the answers to your customer’s questions, allaying any queries they may have about investing in renewable technology.
In order to meet the demands of the Climate Change Act, installers need to gain the knowledge, skills and certification to work with renewable technologies. Simon Allan, director of renewables, explains what this means for the industry and how materials suppliers such as Plumb Center are perfectly placed to be a key reference, information and training source.
The carbon targets set by the Climate Change Act will make some extraordinary demands on the construction industry, not only to deliver very low impact new buildings but to substantially refurbish the vast majority our 26 million dwellings and the 2.5 million non-domestic buildings.
A waterside property in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, has been fitted with a heat pump system from Danfoss Heat Pumps UK, which generates its energy from the River Thames. Mike and Doris Tucker had owned the character stone-built property for seven years and now, in retirement, decided to investigate ways to make the home more energy efficient and sustainable. This included replacement double glazing, improved loft insulation and a high efficiency heat pump.
Tucker, a qualified engineer, previously used LPG gas, as the property is not on mains gas. Over the past two years, with significant LPG price increases, set to continue into the future, he decided it was time to act. He found heat pump installer Geothermique during an internet research on heat pumps and local installers, and was impressed when they came to survey his property, the resulting survey results and savings projections.
Vaillant has added to its renewables portfolio with the launch of its geoTHERM air range of air to water heat pumps (AWHP), suitable for a wide range of applications in new build and refurbishment properties.
The geoTHERM air range consists of three models – 7kW, 12kW and 15kW – each of which aims to provide maximum comfort and efficiency, combined with simple installation, smooth operation and advanced diagnostics.
PTS has launched a comprehensive Renewables Brochure to help installers make the right choices when it comes to specifying energy efficient products.