As a trainer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning or HVAC as it is known, I’ve noticed how interest in heat pumps is rapidly accelerating and this translates into us getting more and more engineers registering for both our online courses and the face-to-face ones.
The engineers applying are from the traditional plumbing and heating sector as well as the air conditioning side as well.
When I stop and think about it though, it never ceases to amaze me that it’s actually taken this long for people to realise the fantastic opportunity that renewable heating offers all round.
Both commercial and residential heating systems that are converted from gas to renewables are helping the nation get closer to our ambitious net zero targets, building by building.
These engineers realise that by expanding into the renewable sector, there is a world of opportunity to grow their business.
There’s real opportunity for any commercial or residential heating engineer ready and able to help customers
Ben Bartle-Ross Technical Trainer at Mitsubishi Electric
Dark arts
However, some still seem to think of installing heat pumps as a dark art! For me though, it’s ultimately little different to installing a gas boiler.
A heat pump, whether commercial or residential, needs proper design, installation and commissioning, with the correct power, clean pipework and the correct water flow.
Get the design right, get the flow rate right, get the power right and it just works.
There are around 27 million homes in the UK and approximately 2 million commercial buildings and with our varied climate, all of them need heating and hot water.
Whilst there is lots of talk about making new buildings ‘fit for the future’, we will still be using about 80% of existing buildings by 2050, so that means there is a opportunity retrofitting renewables to the millions of existing homes and commercial buildings.
Decarbonising public buildings
Salix Funding, or the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme as it is officially known, is really making a difference in the commercial sector.
Now entering its fourth phase, the scheme offers funding to public buildings that replace antiquated fossil fuel heating with renewable systems, such as heat pumps.
According to the gov.uk website the last phase of £230 million in October 2023 will not only help to decarbonise the public sector with low carbon heating and energy efficiency measures, it is also expected to save the public sector an estimated £650 million per year on average to 2037.
Each year of the scheme sees more council offices, sports centres, schools, libraries and other public spaces benefit from renewable systems that replace their aging, carbon-heavy gas and oil heating.
And each year proves beyond doubt that heat pumps really are a viable alternative to gas, which for me also demonstrates that heat pumps are here to stay.
Stranded assets
In the private sector commercial building owners are also realising that they are in danger of being left behind if they do not focus on decarbonisation and renewable heating.
Global brands are looking at a growing body of legislation all focused on reducing energy consumption and decarbonising heat production and this is adding pressure to building owners to make sure they can demonstrate how renewable and low carbon their buildings are.
Owners of older buildings now face significant costs associated with meeting higher standards for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and are trying to avoid any disruption from swopping out gas for heat pump.
So, whichever way you look, there is a real opportunity for any commercial or residential heating engineer ready and able to help customers in both the commercial and public sector.
Get in touch if you’d like to know more?
Ben Bartle-Ross is a Technical Trainer at Mitsubishi Electric
