PHAM DECJAN21:Layout 1 07/12/2020 12:24 Page 1
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021 | VOLUME 58 | ISSUE 10
phamnews.co.uk
!ŋŽķù ķÖóĴ ŋĕ ŨŽÖķĢƩāù ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ ùāũÖĢķ óÖũðŋł ũāùŽóŶĢŋł ťķāùėāŭ̎ Recent pledges from Downing Street to instigate a ‘green industrial revolution’ could come unstuck without investment in installers and infrastructure – industry experts warn Prime Minister Boris Johnson has followed up his ˚˙-point plan for a green industrial revolution with an ambitious pledge to reduce carbon emissions by ˟ˡ% by ˛˙˜˙ (compared to ˚ˢˢ˙ levels) up from the previous target of ˞ˡ%, as part of the government’s longer-term commitment of achieving net zero by ˛˙˞˙. The new target, announced ahead of the UK co-hosting the latest Climate Ambition Summit, is said to commit the country to cutting emissions at the fastest rate of any major economy. Reducing
āťŋũŶ ũāƑāÖķŭ ŶƘťĢóÖķ óŋŭŶ ŋĕ ðŋĢķāũ ũāťÖĢũŭ A new study undertaken by the consumer research magazine ‘Which?’ has highlighted the top four parts that fail in a condensing gas boiler – the diverter valve, auto air vent, pressure relief valve and printed circuit board – and the cost of the four most common
emissions from domestic heating is a core part of the strategy. An installation target of ˟˙˙̇˙˙˙ heat pumps every year by ˛˙˛ˡ has been set with the aim of reducing the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, but there are also plans to support hydrogen production, with the first town to be heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade. While many of the government’s announcements – which includes an extension of the recently introduced Green Homes Grant by another year – have been
broadly welcomed by the heating sector, there are concerns that decision makers might have underestimated the investment needed to ensure that there are enough qualified installers to undertake the installation work. “Support and investment in installers and infrastructure will be crucial,” says Mark Wilkins, head of training and external affairs at Vaillant Group. “The fact remains that to install the required ˟˙˙̇˙˙˙ heat pumps, we will need heating installers to upskill. There are approximately ˚˙˙˙ installers currently MCS accredited and installing heat pumps. To reach this milestone, around ˛˞̇˙˙˙ installers will be needed. This is compared to the ˚˜˙̇˙˙˙ registered engineers currently fitting natural gas and oil boilers.” Wilkins argues that financial incentives will be needed to attract installers who are likely to be required to sign up to expensive and potentially onerous accreditation schemes.
Environmental campaigner and installer, Peter Thom of Cambridge-based Green Heat, is sceptical about the prospects of success. “My view is, while MCS and TrustMark registration are requirements, plus all the other red tape, it’s never going to happen. The small installer isn’t going to want to know. They’re not going to want to pay thousands for accreditation and all the bureaucracy that goes with it.” Rather than setting unrealistic heat pump installation targets, Thom argues that the government should prioritise the replacement of inefficient products such as noncondensing boilers. “This is the fruit that’s laying on the ground. They should also mandate the installation of flue gas heat recovery units with all combi boilers. It’s such an easy fix to get an extra ˝% efficiency of every boiler that goes in. So let’s get the big gains now, and the even bigger gains further down the road.” See page ˚˙ for more industry comment.
repairs range from an average of ͎ˢˡ to ͎˛˟ˡ. The publication asked ˚˞˜ of its Trusted Traders heating engineers how much they would charge for parts and labour to fix the most common boiler faults and which parts are most likely to fail in a gas boiler. Although prices will obviously vary depending on the make of boiler and location, the survey found that the average cost of replacing a diverter valve was ͎˚ˡˠ, an automatic air vent will set the householder back £ˢˡ and
a pressure relief valve £˚˙˚, while the most costly replacement part is a PCB, with an average bill of £˛˟ˡ. A related report into common boiler problems suggests that the three most common faults should not need a replacement part or a visit from an engineer. These are: frozen boiler condensate pipe, pressure loss, and water leakage. ‘Which?’ advises that learning how to defrost a condensate pipe can help to avoid a costly call out charge, while most users should be able to repressurise their system. However, water leaking from a
boiler is usually the result of old and corroded washers which will need a qualified heating engineer to open up the boiler and replace them. The magazine also highlights the importance of ensuring that a boiler is serviced annually, with readers advised that the average cost of a service is about £ˠ˙. Earlier this year, ‘Which?’ asked ˠ˞˙˙ of its members about their experience of boiler repairs. Four in ten people responded that their boiler had needed a repair within ŶĞā ƩũŭŶ ŭĢƗ ƘāÖũŭ ŋĕ ŋťāũÖŶĢŋł̍
Inside this issue Competition Free membership to Checkatrade See page ˚˝
Step-by-Step FŽĢùā Ŷŋ ƩŶŶĢłė FũÖłŶ ƪāƗ DN See page ˜ˡ
Product News Radiators for heat pump systems See page ˜ˢ