The home heating industry is going through significant change and will play a crucial role in reaching the goal of net zero, given the scale of household emissions.
To achieve this, the industry must provide comprehensive training programmes for all low carbon innovations that will provide us with a greener future. The end goal is to help upskill installers within the industry to ensure they are ready for the changes in technology.
Upgrading the industry
As a business, updating our training program is key to staying up to speed with developments in the industry.
Our training team comprises of 25 staff with a mix of training engineers and administrative staff. Over the years we have developed a rigorous programme which has always been in high demand, but we have seen a significant uptick in those wanting to enrol in renewables training.
This is indicative of how the industry is evolving both technologically and shows the questions asked of those working on the ground. Our training programme needs to account for changing government legislation, as well as a consumer’s desire to go greener as the main driving factors.
What installers want
The most in-demand installer training specificity that we see is undoubtedly for heat pumps after the UK Government signalled that this is their preferred innovation: and it is the one they have the most confidence in for transitioning to net zero.
We offer comprehensive training for heat pumps, and supplement this with training for heat pump hybrid systems. This allows for the heat pump to lead in heating the home for as much as 80% of the time with the boiler as an auxiliary for when additional heat is needed when it is extremely cold, or in the instances where it is more advantageous to use a boiler instead of electricity, particularly in times of peak requirements.
Back to basics
To add to the heightened demand for renewable training, there is also interest in the new CIPHE low
temperature heating course which is around three days in duration. This is a refresher course taking the installer back to the first principals of heating design. This will help them meet the new requirement within part L of the Building Regulations where for every boiler replacement installation a heat loss calculation is undertaken for the property.
This will refresh the memory of those installers that need it or will teach those who have never received heat loss calculation training. In practice, the installer will revert to more digital aids to speed this process, but it is crucial to know the first principals of how the heat loss calculation is carried out.
As the industry increases its desire for upskilling, we will be working hard to ensure that we maintain and expand upon our training courses so that installers are best equipped for the industry’s next phase of more widespread renewable energy.
