March 2021 by PHAM News

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MARCH 2021 | VOLUME 59 | ISSUE 2

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Lack of skilled trades predicted to hamper economic recovery A new report on UK domestic trade skills has highlighted a chronic shortage of plumbers, electricians and other key trades, and an urgent need for an expansion of apprenticeship schemes A new report commissioned by the HomeServe Foundation, a notfor-profit division of HomeServe PLC, has suggested that more than ˚̍˛˞ million construction workers will need to be recruited by ˛˙˜˙ to meet a predicted growth in demand for home repairs and construction work. The UK Trades Skills Index, an analysis of the construction, home improvements, and repairs sector by Capital Economics, calculates that ˛˛ˡ̇˙˙˙ apprentices will be needed to address a shortfall of labour due to an ageing workforce and the loss of European skilled workers. It is estimated that just under two thirds (˟˚%) of those apprentices will need to be key trades, such as plumbers, heating engineers and electricians. A fifth of the construction workforce is aged ˞˞ or over and most of these tradespeople will have retired by ˛˙˜˙. The findings make it clear that a failure to address the trade skills gap could lead to the UK lagging behind government targets for new homes and its plans for domestic decarbonisation. “The shortfall will seriously hamper government house

building targets and threaten its ambitious ten-point plan for a new ‘green industrial revolution’,” says Helen Booth, director of the HomeServe Foundation. “If this is not tackled now – by making it simpler for trade businesses to grow and by scaling up the training and recruitment of apprentices in time – the consequences will be bleak, not just for the industry but for the government’s plan to kick-start the economy postpandemic.” The Index suggests the trades skills gap is compounded by the slump in construction output of around ˚˛% during Covid-hit ˛˙˛˙, which has accelerated an alreadyhigh expected rate of retirements, staff turnover and the permanent return home of overseas workers. An estimated ˛˙̇˙˙˙-plus EU construction workers left Britain in ˛˙˛˙ and the report predicts another ˛˛% drop by ˛˙˜˙. “Left unchecked, our report calculates the skills shortage would impact the cost of hiring skilled workers, leading directly to an increase in house prices and the cost of home repairs and improvements,” adds Booth. “˟˙% of the home improvement

and repairs sector’s output is from firms with nine or fewer workers, therefore, the bulk of the responsibility for recruiting additional, skilled workers to cope with the increased demands will fall on smaller firms, recruiting apprentices from the existing UK population. “We therefore need to make it simple for smaller construction and trade firms to grow and provide better advice, support and incentives. And we need the vision, commitment and financial backing of government to realise the possibilities here.” The HomeServe Foundation aims to plug the apprenticeship gap by helping companies create up to ˛˞̇˙˙˙ new apprenticeships over the next three years.

Revenue boost The report also points out that the government has a lot to gain by boosting apprenticeship numbers, leading to a potential increase in revenue of £˚̍˞ billion. However, despite recent government pledges to address the issue, there has not been any significant growth in the number of youngsters looking to take up an apprenticeship.

A YouGov survey commissioned by national training provider JTL last year revealed that there had only been a ˜% increase since its last survey in ˛˙˚ˠ, when just ˡ% of ˚˞ to ˚ˡ-year-olds had been encouraged towards apprenticeships, compared to ˚˚% in ˛˙˚ˢ. “There is a continuing lack of information shared with learners in school regarding apprenticeships, and understanding of apprenticeships as a career opportunity is still very low,” says JTL chief executive Jon Graham. JTL argues that more needs to be done to address the specific needs of the building services sector, where the incentives being offered to employers are not enough to cover costs. The government currently offers employers an incremental incentive to take on an apprentice of £˜˙˙˙ for ˚˟ to ˚ˡ-year olds, £˛˙˙˙ for ˚ˢ to ˛˝-year olds, and £˚˞˙˙ for over ˛˞s. “The incentives for employers taking on apprentices cannot be one-size-fits-all, as the costs falling on employers for running a four-year apprenticeship in the BSE sector versus a one-year apprenticeship, for example, vary enormously,” says Graham. “To further encourage employers to hire apprentices, the government needs to reconsider the incentives currently being offered.” Plumbing apprenticeship numbers have been particularly hit by the Covid pandemic, but a new industry scheme has recently been unveiled which hopes to attract new talent to the sector. See news story on page ˝ for further details.

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Inside this issue 3 MARCH 2021 VOLUME 59 ISSUE 2

Editor’s Viewpoint by Chris Jones

No time to waste An ageing workforce, coupled with thousands of European workers leaving our shores after Brexit, has given rise to serious óŋłóāũłŭ ÖðŋŽŶ Ö ŭĢėłĢƩ óÖłŶ ŭĴĢķķŭ ŭĞŋũŶÖėā ĕŋũ ŶĞā ťķŽĿðĢłė ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ Öłù ƒĢùāũ óŋłŭŶũŽóŶĢŋł ŭāóŶŋũ̍ ¦Ğā Ʃ ũŭŶ Ŷƒŋ ĕÖóŶŋũŭ ƒāũā entirely predictable, but the issue has been further exacerbated by Ö łŽĿðāũ ŋĕ ŭĴĢķķāù ƒŋũĴāũŭ āķāóŶĢłė Ŷŋ ŶÖĴā āÖũķƘ ũāŶĢũāĿāłŶ Ģł ũāŭťŋłŭā Ŷŋ ŶĞā āóŋłŋĿĢó ŭŶũÖĢłŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā !ŋƑĢù-ťÖłùāĿĢó̍ óóŋũùĢłė Ŷŋ Ö ũāóāłŶ ũāťŋũŶ óŋĿĿĢŭŭĢŋłāù ðƘ ŶĞā NŋĿā āũƑā DŋŽłùÖŶĢŋł ̛ŭāā ŶĞĢŭ ĿŋłŶĞ̪ŭ óŋƑāũ ŭŶŋũƘ̜ Ö ĿÖıŋũ ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶķāù ŭóĞāĿā Ŷŋ ùũĢƑā Žť ÖťťũāłŶĢóāŭĞĢť ķāƑāķŭ ƒĢķķ ðā ŶĞā ŋłķƘ ƒÖƘ Ŷŋ close a rapidly widening skills-gap. To those already working in the industry, it could be argued that Ö ŭĞŋũŶÖėā ŋĕ ŭŽťťķƘ óÖł ðā ėŋŋù ĕŋũ ðŽŭĢłāŭŭ̍ ĕŶāũ Öķķ̇ ƘŋŽ ùŋł̪Ŷ łāāù Ö ùāėũāā Ģł āóŋłŋĿĢóŭ Ŷŋ Ĵłŋƒ ŶĞÖŶ ķāŭŭ óŋĿťāŶĢŶĢŋł ƒĢķķ ŋłķƘ help to drive up labour prices and hourly-ũÖŶāŭ̍ NŋƒāƑāũ̇ Ģĕ óŋĿťÖłĢāŭ óÖł̪Ŷ Öóóāŭŭ ŶĞā ƒŋũĴĕŋũóā ŶĞāƘ łāāù Ŷŋ óŋĿťķāŶā óŋłŶũÖóŶŭ Öłù ŶÖĴā ŋł ĕŽŶŽũā ťũŋıāóŶŭ̇ ŶĞāł ĢŶ óÖł ŋłķƘ ŭŶÖũŶ Ŷŋ ķĢĿĢŶ ÖłƘ ťķÖłŭ ĕŋũ ðŽŭĢłāŭŭ ėũŋƒŶĞ̍ ùĢĿĢłĢŭĞĢłė ķÖðŋŽũ ĕŋũóā Öķŭŋ ťŽŶŭ ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ̪ŭ Ğŋťāŭ ŋĕ ĢĿťũŋƑĢłė ĢŶŭ ĞŋŽŭā ðŽĢķùĢłė ũāóŋũù Ģł ŭāũĢŋŽŭ ıāŋťÖũùƘ̍ 1ƑĢùāłóā ŭŽėėāŭŶŭ ŶĞÖŶ ĿÖłƘ ŭóĞŋŋķ-ķāÖƑāũŭ ũāĿÖĢł unconvinced that their prospects will be enhanced by abandoning ĕŽũŶĞāũ ÖóÖùāĿĢó ŭŶŽùƘ Ģł ĕÖƑŋŽũ ŋĕ Öł ÖťťũāłŶĢóāŭĞĢť óŋŽũŭā̇ ðŽŶ the decades spent in persuading youngsters that a university ùāėũāā Ģŭ ŶĞā ðāŭŶ ťÖŶĞ ĕŋũƒÖũù Ģŭ łŋŶ ŭŋĿāŶĞĢłė ŶĞÖŶ óÖł ŨŽĢóĴķƘ ðā ũāƑāũŭāù̍ ¦Ğāũā Ģŭ ŭŽũāķƘ Ö óŋĿťāķķĢłė óÖŭā Ŷŋ ðā ĿÖùā Ŷŋ ŶĞŋŭā who would be interested in providing the new skills the country łāāùŭ Ģĕ ĢŶ Ģŭ Ŷŋ āĿðũÖóā Ö ķŋƒ óÖũðŋł̇ Ŀŋũā āłƑĢũŋłĿāłŶÖķķƘĕũĢāłùķƘ ĕŽŶŽũā ̞ ðŽŶ Ğŋƒ ĿŽóĞ ŶĢĿā óÖł ƒā ÖƦ ŋũù Ŷŋ ƒÖŭŶā ðāĕŋũā Ŀŋũā ťŋŶāłŶĢÖķ ũāóũŽĢŶŭ Öũā ķŋŭŶ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ̎

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News Review

Apprentices Ŷŋ ðāłāƩŶ from major funding With the aim of addressing the plumbing industry’s skills gap and attract new talent to the sector, Ideal Standard has announced the launch of a new UK apprenticeship scheme. Working in partnership with CIPHE, the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, and design education body FIESTA, the bathroom products manufacturer is helping to fund the scheme at a time when plumbing apprenticeships have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with one in ˚˙ apprentices losing their jobs. Ideal Standard will provide financial support for a number of ÖťťũāłŶĢóāŭĞĢť ťŋŭĢŶĢŋłŭ ŋƦāũāù ðƘ

businesses within the CIPHE network. Training will be carried out by some of the top learning providers, selected from CIPHE Approved Training Centres. The bathroom manufacturer will be providing hands-on support for local apprenticeships going through the scheme around its sites

Hydrogenready boilers gain industry support The Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) has written to ŶĞā ũĢĿā mĢłĢŭŶāũ óŋłƩũĿĢłė they have reached agreement in principle with boiler manufacturers to support future legislation mandating all new domestic boilers be ‘hydrogen-ready’ from ˛˙˛˞. HHIC director Stewart Clements ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦¦ĞĢŭ ťķāùėā ƒĢķķ Öķķŋƒ ŶĞā government to introduce the regulation mandating hydrogenready boilers, safe in the knowledge that UK manufacturers will deliver those appliances into homes.” The organisation has developed Ö ŭťāóĢƩóÖŶĢŋł ƒĢŶĞ ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ ŶĞÖŶ hydrogen-ready boilers will need just under an hour of adjustment to allow a future switch from natural gas to hydrogen. “Hydrogen-ready boilers are the

in Hull, Armitage and London and is calling for businesses in the sector to come forward to sponsor placements. The scheme uses funding from the government’s Apprenticeship Levy, with Ideal Standard gifting a part of its share of this fund to provide financial support to smaller companies so

they can take on an apprentice. Ideal Standard MD David Barber ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦¦ĞĢŭ ŭóĞāĿā Ģŭ ŶĞā ĕĢũŭŶ ŋĕ ĢŶŭ kind within the industry. It’s an opportunity to lead the way in investing in young talent and apprentices as they begin their careers in the industry. I hope that other ŋũėÖłĢŭÖŶĢŋłŭ ƒĢķķ ŭāā ŶĞā ðāłāƩŶŭ ŋĕ the scheme and get involved in supporting our future plumbers. For employers who are concerned about any managerial obligations this may bring, the Ideal Standard team will provide support throughout.” Kevin Wellman, chief executive of ŶĞā !R N1̇ Öùùŭ̆ ̦¦ĞĢŭ ĢłĢŶĢÖŶĢƑā comes at a time when plumbing apprenticeships have been hit by the global pandemic, and we were already faced with a skills shortage in the industry. Members of the CIPHE are in prime position to provide the necessary opportunities for new apprentices and, in turn, benefit from a level of support from the CIPHE and a major industry manufacturer.”

High cost a barrier to rural home decarbonisation

least disruptive means of decarbonising homes,” adds Stewart Clements, “and using the existing gas network infrastructure will be ŶĞā ĿŋŭŶ óŋŭŶ āƦāóŶĢƑā ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł Ŷŋ decarbonisation.” The Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) has also recently announced the launch of a Hydrogen Knowledge Centre. The ùĢėĢŶÖķ ķĢðũÖũƘ ƒĢķķ ŋƦāũ Ö ŭāÖũóĞÖðķā database on everything to do with the application of hydrogen, including production, transmission, distribution and storage.

Decarbonisation of rural homes is at risk due to high costs, according to new research from OFTEC. The survey of over ˚˙˙˙ rural property owners found that ˠˡ% would be unlikely to install a heat pump, the government’s preferred method to decarbonise domestic heat. Malcolm Farrow, OFTEC head of ťŽðķĢó ÖƦÖĢũŭ̇ ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦¦Ğā ũāŭāÖũóĞ found ˞˞% of rural homeowners would not be prepared to pay more than £˛˞˙˙ for a new low carbon heating system, and a third wouldn’t be willing to pay anything at all. “This is important because the average price to install an air source heat pump is £˚˙̇ˢ˙˙. The expense could be reduced by ͎˞˙˙˙ if homeowners take up a Green Homes Grant, but this still leaves a minimum shortfall of almost ͎˟˙˙˙ which, according to the study, most rural households would be unwilling or unable to pay.”

For the many who live in poorly insulated rural properties, this could be in addition to the cost of making energy efficiency improvements to their homes ƒĞĢóĞ Öũā łāāùāù ĕŋũ āƦāóŶĢƑā ĞāÖŶ pump use. BEIS figures suggest ˟˞% of oil heated homes currently fall into the lowest energy āƧóĢāłóƘ ðÖłùŭ 1 ! 1̟Ḟ ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā cost to upgrade a Band E home to an acceptable Band C estimated to be on average £˚˛̇˜˙˙, and from Bands F and G, £˚ˡ̇ˢ˙˙. “On this basis, it’s hard to see how the seismic shift to electric heating promoted by government can be realised in rural areas without a major injection of extra funding to help homeowners make the transition. It also raises the question why other, more cost effective low carbon heating solutions are not being supported,” concludes Farrow.

Pay drops but it’s business as usual, says report Although earnings for self-employed plumbers fell last month, this was in keeping with the traditionally slow start to the year, indicating that the national lockdown has left the sector largely unscathed. This is according to the UK’s largest contract provider, Hudson Contract, which reports that average weekly pay was ͎ˢ˜ˡ during January, a fall of ˟̍˜% on December. The company said the overall number of tradespeople on its books last month stood at 8ˠ% of prepandemic levels. The figure was ˢ˙% before the festive break, when most construction sites shut for a fortnight. MD Ian Anfield says it was business as usual for most plumbing contractors in spite of the third national lockdown. Commenting on ŶĞā ŭŶÖŶā ŋĕ ŶĞā ŶũÖùā̇ łƩāķù ŭÖƘŭ̆ “We were concerned that Covid would prevent Eastern Europeans getting back to Britain after Christmas. We also heard reports from some clients that some tradespeople were using the self-employment income support scheme to take extra paid holiday at the Chancellor’s expense. While this is most certainly happening in some cases, on the whole the return to work has been at the same level as in previous years.” The best performing regions for earnings growth were the South West (up ˛ˠ%), Wales (up ˟̍ˠ%) and the East of England (up ˙̍˜%).

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

News Review

¦Ğā łĢƩāù ÂÖŶāũ dÖðāķ ŭŭŋóĢÖŶĢŋł ̛Âd ̜ Ģŭ Ŷŋ ĞŋŭŶ Ö 1ŽũŋťāÖł ƑĢũŶŽÖķ óŋłĕāũāłóā̇ ÂÖŶāũ mÖŶŶāũŭ̇ Ŷŋ āƗťķŋũā Ğŋƒ ŶĞā ðÖŶĞũŋŋĿ ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ óÖł ƒŋũĴ ŶŋėāŶĞāũ Ŷŋ ðāŶŶāũ ĢłĕŋũĿ óŽŭŶŋĿāũŭ ÖðŋŽŶ ŽŭĢłė ƒÖŶāũ āƧóĢāłŶķƘ̍ RŶ ŶÖĴāŭ ťķÖóā ŋł ˚˜ ťũĢķ ÖŶ ˚ťĿ Öłù ƒĢķķ ðā ĕũāā Ŷŋ Öóóāŭŭ̍ ¦Ğā āƑāłŶ ĢłóķŽùāŭ Ö ťÖłāķ ùĢŭóŽŭŭĢŋł ƒĢŶĞ ũāťũāŭāłŶÖŶĢƑāŭ ĕũŋĿ ĕŋŽũ ùĢĕĕāũāłŶ óŋĿťÖłĢāŭ ŋťāũÖŶĢłė Ģł 1Žũŋťā̇ Öłù Ŷƒŋ ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ ŭťāÖĴāũŭ ĕũŋĿ ėķŋðÖķ ĞŋĿā ĕŽũłĢŭĞĢłė ðũÖłù RĴāÖ Öłù FāũĿÖł 'RÈ ũāŶÖĢķāũ FķŋðŽŭ̍ Âd m' ÈƑŋłłā zũėĢķķ óŋĿĿāłŶŭ̆ ̦Âā Öũā āƗóĢŶāù Ŷŋ ðũĢłė ŶĞĢŭ āƑāłŶ ŋłķĢłā̇ ŋƦāũĢłė ŶĞā ŋťťŋũŶŽłĢŶƘ ĕŋũ Ŀŋũā ťāŋťķā Ŷŋ ıŋĢł Žŭ̇ āłóŋŽũÖėĢłė āƑāũƘŋłā Ŷŋ ùŋ Ö ķĢŶŶķā ŭŋ ŶĞÖŶ ŶŋėāŶĞāũ ƒā óÖł ÖóĞĢāƑā Ö ķŋŶ̧̍ 'āŶÖĢķŭ ŋł Ğŋƒ Ŷŋ ũāėĢŭŶāũ ƒĢķķ ðā ũāķāÖŭāù óķŋŭāũ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ùÖƘ ŋĕ ŶĞā āƑāłŶ ŋł ŶĞā łĢƩāù ÂÖŶāũ dÖðāķ ŭŭŋóĢÖŶĢŋł ƒāðŭĢŶā̍

Updated strategies to tackle fuel poverty ¦Ğā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ ĞÖŭ ťŽðķĢŭĞāù Öł ŽťùÖŶāù DŽāķ ŋƑāũŶƘ ŶũÖŶāėƘ ĕŋũ 1łėķÖłù̇ ŭāŶŶĢłė ŋŽŶ Ğŋƒ ĢŶ ƒĢķķ ŶÖóĴķā ĕŽāķ ťŋƑāũŶƘ ƒĞĢķā ÖŶ ŶĞā ŭÖĿā ŶĢĿā ùāóÖũðŋłĢŭĢłė ðŽĢķùĢłėŭ̍ ̨ ŽŭŶÖĢłÖðķā ÂÖũĿŶĞ̆ ũŋŶāóŶĢłė ƑŽķłāũÖðķā ĞŋŽŭāĞŋķùŭ Ģł 1łėķÖłù̪ ķĢłĴŭ ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ̪ŭ óŋĿĿĢŶĿāłŶ Ŷŋ łāŶ-ơāũŋ ŶÖũėāŶŭ ƒĢŶĞ ĢŶŭ ÖĢĿ ŋĕ ķĢĕŶĢłė ťāŋťķā ŋŽŶ ŋĕ ĕŽāķ ťŋƑāũŶƘ ŶĞũŋŽėĞ Ö ũÖłėā ŋĕ ĿāÖŭŽũāŭ̍ złā ŭŽóĞ ĿāÖŭŽũā Ģŭ ŶĞā āƗťÖłŭĢŋł ŋĕ ŶĞā 1łāũėƘ !ŋĿťÖłƘ zðķĢėÖŶĢŋł ̛1!z̜ ƒĞĢóĞ ũāŨŽĢũāŭ ķÖũėāũ ùŋĿāŭŶĢó āłāũėƘ ŭŽťťķĢāũŭ Ŷŋ ĢłŭŶÖķķ ĞāÖŶĢłė̇ ĢłŭŽķÖŶĢŋł ŋũ ŋŶĞāũ āłāũėƘ āƧóĢāłóƘ ĿāÖŭŽũāŭ Ģł ŶĞā ĞŋĿāŭ ŋĕ ťāŋťķā ƒĞŋ Öũā ķŋƒ ĢłóŋĿā Öłù ƑŽķłāũÖðķā ŋũ ĕŽāķ ťŋŋũ̍ ¦Ğā ŭŶũÖŶāėƘ Öķŭŋ ÖłłŋŽłóāŭ łāƒ ĕŽłùĢłė ŋĕ ͎˚˞˙ ĿĢķķĢŋł ĕŋũ ŶĞā NŋĿā ťėũÖùā FũÖłŶ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ ėũÖłŶ ƒĢķķ ŭŽťťŋũŶ ķŋƒ ĢłóŋĿā ĞŋŽŭāĞŋķùŭ ƒĢŶĞ ŽťėũÖùāŭ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ƒŋũŭŶ-ťāũĕŋũĿĢłė ŋĕĕ-ėÖŭ-ėũĢù ĞŋĿāŭ Ģł 1łėķÖłù̍ ùùĢŶĢŋłÖķķƘ̇ ŶĞā ŭŶũÖŶāėƘ ƒĢķķ ũāŨŽĢũā āłāũėƘ óŋĿťÖłĢāŭ Ŷŋ ťũŋƑĢùā Ö ͎˚˝˙ ũāðÖŶā ŋł ŶĞā āłāũėƘ ðĢķķŭ ŋĕ ķŋƒ ĢłóŋĿā ťāłŭĢŋłāũŭ Öłù ŋŶĞāũ ķŋƒ ĢłóŋĿā ĞŋŽŭāĞŋķùŭ̍ ¦Ğā DāùāũÖŶĢŋł ŋĕ mÖŭŶāũ ŽĢķùāũŭ ĞÖŭ ƒāķóŋĿāù ŶĞā ŽťùÖŶāù ŭŶũÖŶāėƘ óŋłŶÖĢłāù Ģł ŽŭŶÖĢłÖðķā ÂÖũĿŶĞ̇

óÖķķĢłė ĢŶ Ö ̨ƒāķóŋĿā ũŋÖùĿÖť̪ ŋĕ ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ̪ŭ ťķÖłŭ Ŷŋ ťũŋŶāóŶ ŶĞā ĿŋŭŶ ƑŽķłāũÖðķā ĞŋŽŭāĞŋķùŭ̍ ũĢÖł āũũƘ̇ óĞĢāĕ āƗāóŽŶĢƑā ŋĕ ŶĞā Dm ̇ ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦Rĕ ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ ƒÖłŶŭ Ŷŋ ðŽĢķù ðÖóĴ ėũāāłāũ̇ ĞŋƒāƑāũ̇ ĢŶ ĿŽŭŶ ėŋ ĕŽũŶĞāũ̍ RŶ ŭĞŋŽķù ðŽĢķù ŋł ŶĞā ťũĢłóĢťķāŭ ĢŶ ŭāŶ ŋŽŶ̇ ķĢłĴĢłė āłāũėƘ āƧóĢāłóƘ ùĢũāóŶķƘ Ŷŋ ĞāÖķŶĞ̇ ƒāķķðāĢłė̇ Öłù ıŋð óũāÖŶĢŋł̇ Öłù óŋĿĿĢŶ Ŷŋ Ö pÖŶĢŋłÖķ āŶũŋƩŶ ŶũÖŶāėƘ Ģł ŋũùāũ Ŷŋ ùāķĢƑāũ Ö ťķÖł Ŷŋ ũāùŽóā āłāũėƘ ùāĿÖłù Öłù óÖũðŋł āĿĢŭŭĢŋłŭ ĕũŋĿ āƑāũƘ ĞŋĿā Öóũŋŭŭ ŶĞā b̧̍

Another deal for Polypipe mÖėłāŶĢó ĕĢķŶũÖŶĢŋł Öłù ƒÖŶāũ ŶũāÖŶĿāłŶ ŭťāóĢÖķĢŭŶ '1È ĞÖŭ ðāāł ÖóŨŽĢũāù ðƘ ŶĞā ŋķƘťĢťā FũŋŽť Ģł Ö ùāÖķ āŭŶĢĿÖŶāù Ŷŋ ðā ƒŋũŶĞ ͎˛˚˙Ŀ̍ 1ŭŶÖðķĢŭĞāù Ģł ˛˙˙˜̇ ŶĞā óŋĿťÖłƘ ĞÖŭ ðāāł ŋƒłāù ðƘ ťũĢƑÖŶā āŨŽĢŶƘ ĕĢũĿ d'! ŭĢłóā `Žłā ˛˙˚˟ Öłù ŭĢłóā ŶĞÖŶ ŶĢĿā ĞÖŭ ŭāāł łāŶ ũāƑāłŽāŭ ėũŋƒ ĕũŋĿ ͎˜˝Ŀ Ģł ˛˙˚˞ Ŷŋ ͎˞˚Ŀ ķÖŭŶ ƘāÖũ̍ mÖŶŶĞāƒ Âāððāũ̇ '1È

International celebration of the importance of plumbing ¦Ğā ÖłłŽÖķ Âŋũķù ķŽĿðĢłė 'ÖƘ ƒĢķķ ðā óāķāðũÖŶāù ŋł ˚˚ŶĞ mÖũóĞ̇ āĿťĞÖŭĢŭĢłė ŶĞā ĢĿťŋũŶÖłŶ ũŋķā ŋĕ ťķŽĿðĢłė Öłù ĞāÖŶĢłė āłėĢłāāũŭ ŶĞũŋŽėĞŋŽŶ ŶĞā ƘāÖũ ŋĕ ŶĞā ťÖłùāĿĢó̍ RłĢŶĢÖŶāù ðƘ ŶĞā Âŋũķù ķŽĿðĢłė !ŋŽłóĢķ ̛Â !̜̇ ŶĞā ĢłŶāũłÖŶĢŋłÖķ āƑāłŶ ťũŋĿŋŶāŭ ŶĞā ƑĢŶÖķ ķĢłĴ ðāŶƒāāł ėŋŋù ŨŽÖķĢŶƘ ťķŽĿðĢłė̇ ĞāÖķŶĞ̇ āłƑĢũŋłĿāłŶÖķ ŭŽŭŶÖĢłÖðĢķĢŶƘ Öłù̇ ĢłóũāÖŭĢłėķƘ̇ āóŋłŋĿĢó ťũŋŭťāũĢŶƘ̍ ¦Ğā ùÖƘ ÖĢĿŭ Ŷŋ ũÖĢŭā ÖƒÖũāłāŭŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā ĢĿťŋũŶÖłóā ŋĕ ťķŽĿðĢłė Öłù ťķŽĿðāũŭ ƒŋũķùƒĢùā̍ bāƑĢł ÂāķķĿÖł̇ !1z ŋĕ !R N1̇ ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦RŶ̪ŭ ðāāł Ö ƒĞĢũķƒĢłù ŋĕ Ö ƘāÖũ ŭĢłóā ƒā ķÖŭŶ óāķāðũÖŶāù Âŋũķù ķŽĿðĢłė 'ÖƘ̍ ķŽĿðĢłė ĞÖŭ ŭÖŶ ÖŶ ŶĞā ĞāÖũŶ ŋĕ ŶÖóĴķĢłė ŶĞā ťÖłùāĿĢó ̟ ĕũŋĿ ŶĞā óķāÖł ƒÖŶāũ̇ ŶÖťŭ Öłù ŭĢłĴŭ ƒā Žŭā Ŷŋ ƒÖŭĞ ŋŽũ ĞÖłùŭ̇ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ŭÖłĢŶÖŶĢŋł ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ ƒā Žŭā Ŷŋ Ğāķť ŭŶŋť ŶĞā ŭťũāÖù ŋĕ ƑĢũŽŭāŭ Öłù ðÖóŶāũĢÖ̍ Rł ŶĞĢŭ ķÖŶāŭŶ ķŋóĴùŋƒł̇ 1-óķÖù āłėĢłāāũŭ ĞÖƑā ðāāł ŶĞā ķŋóÖķ Ğāũŋāŭ̇ ƩƗĢłė óŋķù ƒāÖŶĞāũ āĿāũėāłóĢāŭ ŭŽóĞ Öŭ ðũŋĴāł-ùŋƒł ðŋĢķāũŭ Öłù ðŽũŭŶ ťĢťāŭ̇ Ģł ƑāũƘ ŶŋŽėĞ ŭĢŶŽÖŶĢŋłŭ̧̍ ķŽĿðĢłė Öłù ĞāÖŶĢłė āłėĢłāāũŭ ĞÖƑā ŭŶāťťāù Žť Öŭ óũĢŶĢóÖķ ƒŋũĴāũŭ Ģł ŶĞā ĕÖóā ŋĕ ĿÖłƘ ÖùƑāũŭĢŶĢāŭ̇ ŭÖƘŭ

bāƑĢł̍ DũŋĿ ƩłÖłóĢÖķ Öłù āĿťķŋƘĿāłŶ ƒŋāŭ̇ Ŷŋ ŭŽťťķƘ óĞÖĢł ĢŭŭŽāŭ̇ ùĢƧóŽķŶĢāŭ ŭŋŽũóĢłė 1̇ óĞÖłėĢłė ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶÖķ ÖùƑĢóā̇ Öłù ŶĞā ũĢŭĴ ŋĕ ðāĢłė āƗťŋŭāù Ŷŋ óŋũŋłÖƑĢũŽŭ̇ āłėĢłāāũŭ ĞÖƑā ĕÖóāù Öķķ ùĢƧóŽķŶĢāŭ ĞāÖù ŋł̍ ̦¦ĞĢŭ Âŋũķù ķŽĿðĢłė 'ÖƘ̇ ŶĞā !R N1 ÖťťķÖŽùŭ ŶĞā ƒÖƘ ŋŽũ ĿāĿðāũŭ Öłù ŶĞā āłŶĢũā ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ ĞÖƑā ťāũŭāƑāũāù ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ŶĞā ķÖŭŶ ƘāÖũ ƒĞĢķŭŶ̇ ÖŶ ŶĞā ŭÖĿā ŶĢĿā̇ ĢĿťķŋũā ŶĞŋŭā Ģł ťŋŭĢŶĢŋłŭ ŋĕ ÖŽŶĞŋũĢŶƘ Ŷŋ ÖóŶ Žťŋł ŶĞā ĢŭŭŽāŭ ŶĞā !ŋƑĢù̟˚ˢ ťÖłùāĿĢó ĞÖŭ ŭĞŋłā Ö ķĢėĞŶ Žťŋł̍ zŽũ ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ ƒĢķķ ĞÖƑā Ö ĞŽėā ũŋķā Ŷŋ ťķÖƘ Ģł ŭŽťťŋũŶĢłė ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ Öłù ðŽŭĢłāŭŭāŭ ŶĞũŋŽėĞ Ö ũāóŋƑāũƘ̇ Öłù ŶĞŋŭā Ğāũŋ óÖťāŭ ƒĢķķ ðā ŭŶÖƘĢłė ƩũĿķƘ Ģł ťķÖóā ĕŋũ ŶĞā ĕŋũāŭāāÖðķā ĕŽŶŽũā̧̍ ¦ŋ Ĵāāť Žť Ŷŋ ùÖŶā ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā ķÖŶāŭŶ łāƒŭ Öłù āƑāłŶŭ ŋłķĢłā̇ ĕŋķķŋƒ ŋł ¦ƒĢŶŶāũ ͼÂ ķŽĿðĢłė'ÖƘ ŋũ Žŭā ŶĞā ũāÖùāũ ķĢłĴ ðāķŋƒ Ŷŋ ƑĢŭĢŶ ŶĞā Âŋũķù ķŽĿðĢłė !ŋŽłóĢķ̪ŭ ùāùĢóÖŶāù ťÖėā̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˙˜

!1ż ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦Âā Öũā āƗóĢŶāù Ŷŋ ðā ıŋĢłĢłė ŋķƘťĢťā Öłù ðƘ ŶĞā ėũŋƒŶĞ ŋťťŋũŶŽłĢŶĢāŭ ÖĞāÖù̍ ¦Ğā óŋĿťÖłĢāŭ ŭĞÖũā Ö ŭĢĿĢķÖũ óŽķŶŽũā Öłù ťĞĢķŋŭŋťĞƘ̇ ĕŋóŽŭāù ŋł ùāķĢƑāũĢłė ŭŽŭŶÖĢłÖðķā ƒÖŶāũ Öłù óķĢĿÖŶā ĿÖłÖėāĿāłŶ ŭŋķŽŶĢŋłŭ̧̍ ŋ ķ Ƙ ť Ģ ť ā Ö ķ ŭ ŋ ũ ā ó ā ł Ŷ ķ Ƙ ÖóŨŽĢũāù ŶĞā Žłùāũƪŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāũ pŽ-NāÖŶ ĕŋũ Ö ùāÖķ ŭÖĢù Ŷŋ ðā ƒŋũŶĞ ͎˛ˠĿ̍

¦Ğā ŋƧóĢÖķ mÖùā Ģł ũĢŶÖĢł ĿÖũĴ ƒĢķķ ðā ÖťťāÖũĢłė ŋł ŋķƘťĢťā ŽĢķùĢłė ũŋùŽóŶŭ̪ ũÖłėā ŋĕ ťķÖŭŶĢó ťķŽĿðĢłė̇ ùũÖĢłÖėā Öłù ũÖĢłƒÖŶāũ ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ ŋƑāũ ŶĞā óŋŽũŭā ŋĕ ˛˙˛˚ łŋƒ ŶĞÖŶ ĢŶ ĞÖŭ ðāóŋĿā Ö ĕŽķķ ĿāĿðāũ ŋĕ ŶĞā ŋũėÖłĢŭÖŶĢŋł̍ Ģłóā ˛˙˚˚ mÖùā Ģł ũĢŶÖĢł ĞÖŭ ð ā ā ł ŭ Ž ť ť ŋ ũ Ŷ Ģ ł ė ũ Ģ Ŷ Ģ ŭ Ğ ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāũŭ ƒĢŶĞ ĞāÖùŨŽÖũŶāũŭ ŋũ ĿÖĢł ĕÖóŶŋũĢāŭ Ģł 1łėķÖłù̇ óŋŶķÖłù ŋũ ÂÖķāŭ ðƘ ťũŋĿŋŶĢłė ŶĞāĿ Ŷŋ óŋłŭŽĿāũŭ Öłù ĴāƘ ĿÖũĴāŶŭ Ģł ŶĞā b Öłù ŋƑāũŭāÖŭ̍ ¦Ğā ŋũėÖłĢŭÖŶĢŋł ƒŋũĴŭ óķŋŭāķƘ ƒĢŶĞ b ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ ťŋķĢóƘ ĿÖĴāũŭ Öłù ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ ėũŋŽťŭ Ŷŋ ŭŽťťŋũŶ ŭĴĢķķāù ıŋðŭ Öłù āłóŋŽũÖėā ŭŽŭŶÖĢłÖðķā ėũŋƒŶĞ ÖĿŋłė ŶĞā b ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũĢłė ŭāóŶŋũ̍ m' ŶāƑā NāāķāƘ óŋĿĿāłŶŭ̆ ̦ ŋķƘťĢťā ŽĢķùĢłė ũŋùŽóŶŭ ĞÖŭ ðāāł ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũĢłė āŭŭāłŶĢÖķ ťķŽĿðĢłė Öłù ùũÖĢłÖėā ťũŋùŽóŶŭ Žŭāù Öóũŋŭŭ ŶĞā ƒŋũķù Ģł 'ŋłóÖŭŶāũ ĕŋũ Ŀŋũā ŶĞÖł ˝˙ ƘāÖũŭ Öłù ƒā Öũā ùāķĢėĞŶāù Ŷŋ ðā ÖŭŭŋóĢÖŶāù ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā ťũāŭŶĢėĢŋŽŭ mÖùā Ģł ũĢŶÖĢł ŋũėÖłĢŭÖŶĢŋł̧̍ łŽĿðāũ ŋĕ óŋĿťÖłĢāŭ Ģł ŶĞā ŭāóŶŋũ Öũā ŋł ŶĞā mÖùā Ģł ũĢŶÖĢł ũāėĢŭŶāũ̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ÖķÖĿÖłùāũ ŽĿťŭ̇ NŋŶŽł̇ ¦ŽĕĕÖ ¦ÖłĴŭ̇ zł ŶĞā dāƑāķ ÂāŶũŋŋĿŭ̇ Ģťā łŽė Öłù mó ķťĢłā ķŽĿðĢłė ũŋùŽóŶŭ̍

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

News Review 7 Water use calculator now online

Register highlights women in the trades Tradeswomen from all industries are being invited to join a new National Register of Tradeswomen, which launched officially on ˚st March. The register has been set up by Stopcocks Women Plumbers in response to ongoing frustrations around the lack of visibility of tradeswomen and to address concerns of vulnerable householders, some of whom feel safer with women. The not-forťũŋƩŶ ŋũėÖłĢŭÖŶĢŋł Öķŭŋ ĞÖŭ ťķÖłŭ to enable women to train in trades and access funds for training. Householders will be able to access the register via a freephone to find suitable tradeswomen in their area. The tradeswomen will ÖóóāťŶ ŶĞā ƒŋũĴ Öłù ÖùĿĢł ŭŶÖƦ ƒĢķķ handle the invoicing and chasing up of payments. “Using the register allows tradeswomen to inspire women, especially women in difficult situations, to take control of their lives, and make a good income for

themselves a by working in skilled trades,” says co-founder Hattie Hasan MBE. “No one knows how many tradeswomen there are, and until we do we can’t measure how we’re doing or what needs to change. When you register it means ƩłÖķķƘ ƒā ƒĢķķ ðā óŋŽłŶāù̧̍ As well as making tradeswomen easier to find, the register will help to provide the data needed to increase the number of tradeswomen available. The register is free to join and is now available for customers to use. The campaign launched on Instagram with the hashtag #StarttheROT. Visit the register using the link below. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˙˝

A new online water use calculator has been developed by Triton to help raise awareness of how much water and energy is used by a typical electric or mixer shower. The shower manufacturer’s online water and energy savings calculator asks simple questions about household occupants and typical showering habits, before providing personalised tips and suggestions for improvement.

Information is presented in a relatable way, such as comparing how many bottles of water are saved by showering for just a minute less – with the overall aim being to prompt genuine behavioural óĞÖłėāŭ ŶĞÖŶ Öũā ŋĕ ŶÖłėĢðķā ðāłāƩŶ to the environment. Marketing director Tina Simpson says: “Whether it’s in the form of a calculator which provides expert advice, or manufacturing intelligent water heating technology and electric showers, we are constantly reviewing ŋŽũ ŋƦāũĢłė Ŷŋ ķĢĿĢŶ ƒÖŶāũ ƒÖŭŶā Öłù lower energy consumption.” The calculator can be found using the reader link below. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˙˞

Industry bodies unite under one banner A new umbrella organisation has been created to represent the interests of the UK engineering services sector, bringing together a number of trade bodies, including BESA, CIBSE, FETA and SNIPEF. Actuate UK has come together with the aim of providing a single, consolidated voice for the industry and support the delivery of a safer, more productive and sustainable built environment. Actuate UK hopes to play a key role in essential national initiatives, such as the Construction Leadership Council’s recovery roadmap, building safety reform, and the drive for zero net carbon. It also aims to lead the sector’s response to the postCovid green recovery, providing direction and

championing the wider industry culture changes. Actuate UK consists of eight organisations: BESA, SNIPEF, BSRIA, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), ECA (Electrical and Engineering Services), Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA), the Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA), and SELECT (the Electrical Contractors’ Association of Scotland). These industry bodies bring a broad range of technical, practical, and commercial expertise to focus on four strategically important themes – skills, building safety, carbon reduction and commercial issues – in ˛˙˛˚.

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

News Review

Opportunity to earn with ĿāĿðāũŭĞĢť in the club Installers of Rointe products can now benefit from a number of features and rewards as members of the new Rointe Club. The electric ĞāÖŶĢłė ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāũ ŋƦ āũŭ ťāũĴŭ such as inclusion in its online and project directories, installation guides, and an annual advertising pack. Members can accumulate ˜% of the net amount of all their Rointe purchases via gift cards. The company’s heating solutions include a wide range of ũÖùĢÖŶŋũŭ̇ Ŷŋƒāķ ũÖĢķŭ̇ Žłùāũƪ ŋŋũ heating and unvented domestic electric hot water solutions. Antonio Dengra, CEO at Rointe, says: “Members will have the latest and most up-to-date information about Rointe and its products, as well as a number of ŋŶĞāũ ĕÖłŶÖŭŶĢó ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ ƒĢķķ put them ahead of other installers. They’ll also receive Rointe-

āłāƩ Ŷŭ ĕŋũ mĢũÖ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ

branded merchandise that acts as a blue tick to show their customers that they’re a trusted Rointe installer.” Those who spend more than £˚˞̇˙˙˙ in net purchases by September will become a Premium Installer with extra benefits, including a Rointe branded jacket, premium website listing, and an exclusive Christmas hamper. To become a Rointe Trusted Installer visit the website below. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˙˟

pāƒ ŭĢŶā ŋƦ āũŭ ũŋŋĿ Ŷŋ ėũŋƒ Armstrong Fluid Technology has announced plans to relocate its West Midlands factory, warehouse and offices to larger premises in nearby Droitwich. The move will enable the company to continue expansion of its UK production capabilities, to meet growing worldwide demand for its off-site manufactured plantrooms and energy centres. The company has been manufacturing at its Heywood Wharf site in Halesowen since ˛˙˙˝. The Pointon Way site has over ˟ˢ̇˙˙˙ft˛ of space, easy access to the M˞ motorway, and an extensive production area.

Marking its centenary year in ˛˙˛˚, Mira Showers has unveiled a new free membership programme for professional installers. The Mira InstallerPRO programme has been designed exclusively for independent trade professionals and offers priority technical support, business development tools, and product training – plus a range of merchandise, installer kit, and retail voucher rewards. Members who sign up for the programme will gain access to a host of benefits that have been specially shaped around the needs of installers. These include faster help and advice with product queries

Cashback extends to end of March Navien has announced an extension to its ‘Cashback˝Feb’ offer by an extra month. As a result, installers can now earn £˚˙˙ cashback on every Navien LCBˠ˙˙ Blue Flame oil boiler ŶĞāƘ Ʃ Ŷ ŽłŶĢķ ˜˚ March. The offer has been running since the beginning of February, with installers simply needing to register each LCBˠ˙˙ Blue DķÖĿā ŋĢķ ðŋĢķāũ ŶĞāƘ Ʃ Ŷ ƑĢÖ ŶĞā Navien Installer App to qualify. There is no limit to the number of boilers for which they can claim a ͎˚˙˙ return. Qualifying boilers must be registered on the Navien Installer app by ˚˞ April to be eligible, and the £˚˙˙ cashback will be supplied in the form of pre-paid debit cards. For more details, visit: ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˙ˡ

from a new, dedicated InstallerPRO Hotline that is manned by a team of Mira Showers experts. Another key benefit is the opportunity for professional installers to become listed through the company’s ‘Find an Installer’ tool. As well as digital and face-to-face training sessions, members will also be able to earn points across a range of products by uploading details of their installations to the InstallerPRO website. These include digital vouchers for a host of high street and online retailers, with exclusive InstallerPRO workwear, merchandise, and installer kit rewards. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˙ˠ

Equipment from Baxi has been specified in the USER Project, which is trialling ‘smart hubs’ across ˜˞˙ homes in a bid to revolutionise hot water cylinders and support the low carbon transition. The USER Project was awarded government funding in ˛˙˚ˢ to demonstrate the demand-sideresponse potential of hot water cylinders using Levelise AI-led optimisation and Baxi hardware. The smart hubs switch the hot water cylinder’s immersion heater on when there are grid balancing requirements, or surplus energy available where prices can be lower. The hot water can then be stored for use later in the day. Ivan Castro, co-founder of Levelise, says: “This is an exciting and important time to access the untapped potential of existing and future hot water cylinders in UK homes.” ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˙ˢ

PLUMBERS IN THE NEWS

ͻ A plumber featured in PHAM News’s ‘Professional’s Choice’ series back in ˛˙˚˙ is once again attracting attention from the press – this time for helping NHS staff with their plumbing and heating problems during the pandemic. Paul Merton of PJM FÖŭ ͽ NāÖŶĢłė Ģŭ ŋƦ āũĢłė ˚˙ free one-hour appointments to NHS frontline workers in Bishop’s Stortford and the surrounding villages. “I just wanted to say thank you for everything they’re doing for us – I want them to feel appreciated,” said Paul. ͻ Plumbers in America made headlines in the UK after they accidentally walled in a customer’s cat. Called out to fix a leak, the plumbers had to cut a hole in a wall adjacent to the bath. Curiosity got the better of the resident feline, Chloe, who snuck under the bath undetected, before the plumbers sealed it back up. The homeowner later discovered Chloe peeking out from behind a broken tile and rescued the poor moggie – he ended up making a TikTok video of the event that went viral. ͻ A New Jersey plumber drove halfway across America to Texas after a freak winter storm left thousands of households with burst pipes and no water. Demand for plumbers had outstripped supply, so Andrew Mitchell drove ˛˛ hours from New Jersey to Houston to lend a helping hand. Andrew said Texan plumbers were calling out for help because there wasn’t enough time in the day to meet the overwhelming demand from their desperate customers.

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Your Views

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Recent tweets that caught our attention Follow us on Twitter @PHAMnews

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Why drop valves aren’t the answer n every plumbing ournal read nowadays there is something about combating waste of water, and quite rightly so. ow many people stop to think that up to 60% of the adult human’s body is water! It’s far too important to waste. owever, do wonder what goes on in the design and advertising departments of some companies. n ebruary s issue read the article ood design can prevent s from wasting water which, as a statement, is a no brainer . n the very first paragraph the writer waxes lyrical about their latest pre-wall system . e goes on to explain how their dual ush volumes can be ad usted to suit the application, with the full ush ranging from 3.5 litres up to 7.5 litres and the partial ush from 2 to litres . t is a shame someone didn t read chedule 2 ection : Paragraph 25: (1 d of the ater upply ater ittings egulations, which clearly states no ushing device installed for use with a pan shall give a single ush exceeding litres . ow can they get something so fundamental so wrong Now, before somebody starts saying it is up to the plumber to ensure it is set correctly, which I agree with, we all need to live in the real world. There are thousands of customers who will fit and ad ust their own cisterns. And what is the best way to ensure a good ush ut in as much water as one can. Therefore, if you give someone the option to use 7.5 litres, the likelihood is they will. I do not either suggest or condone people doing so, but anyone who has been in the trade any length of time will be nodding their head in agreement. ext, we are told that all s require a small amount of maintenance, in particular we are told that we should clean any debris that may have entered the cistern during the installation. This makes sound sense, but it is the debris that enters the cistern over its life that causes the seals to fail. I would hazard a guess that nobody since Thomas rapper first picked up his toolbag has cleaned their ushing cistern as part of a maintenance cycle it ust isn t going to happen. t s simply the manufacturers way of passing the buck back to the plumber and his her customers. f debris is an issue, then make it mandatory to fit a strainer. trainers are already required for art oat operated valves, so why not all valves supplying ushing cisterns problem solved The old plumber was apprenticed to once said to me, onny, keep it simple, the less there is to go wrong the less will go wrong . y bathroom suite has been in for around 0 years. have changed two ball valve washers and one syphon washer, and it still works perfectly well. ook inside a so called modern cistern and it looks like someone emptied a box of ego into it hy have we swapped the simple leak-free syphon, that has served us well for over 100 years, for something much more complex that doesn t even work that well and is prone to leaking oh yes, apparently it s called progress The powers that be seem unwilling to accept that the principle of the drop valve is fundamentally awed. All that stops the water leaking is a simple washer, and given how often s are used it is inevitable the washer will eventually leak. The problem, as we have heard many times, is spotting the leak There is no doubt in my mind that if we really want to save water, we need to ban drop valves and place the over ow discharge in a prominent location! R. Chambers, via email

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We need practical people to plan our low carbon future Many congratulations on publishing Brian Penny’s much needed letter on the obstacles being ignored by the Climate Change Committee as they plot out a course for our route to carbon neutrality. The people involved in pushing the electric-only strategy have no experience of the complexities of installing central heating systems in the average ritish home. omeowners will not want to exchange their much loved gas central heating systems for a heat pump system, which requires them to alter the insides of their houses to fit in larger radiators and, possibly, under oor heating, as well as completely altering their hot water supply arrangements. The costs are significant, to which must be added all of the disruptive work needed to heavily insulate the buildings. e could be talking about £20,000 per house in many cases. The planners have ust not taken into account the resistance that can be expected to such an effort because people do not like being asked to fiddle around with the insides of their homes. Any programme of training would have to produce thousands of installers capable of handling the resulting tricky situations. Apart from anything else, as rian enny points out, millions of homes will be completely unsuitable for air source heat pumps and the idea of installing ground source types and the cost involved is not practical in any way. e have to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and a practical way forward is needed. uch more work must take place on greening the gas supply system and in the long run, that could be the only achievable way out of the problem. A start would be to require that all gas boilers installed from now onwards should be hydrogen-ready. or liquid fuel systems the answer already exists in a non fossil fuel, V , which is already on sale here and can be used in existing equipment with minimum conversion work required. The government needs to get practical people like rian enny involved in drawing up future policy. Colin Sutherland via email

Let us know what you think...

The editor welcomes letters from readers on all aspects of the industry. Letters can be sent by email or post but must include a name, phone number and address (not for publication). Please address your letters to: The Editor, PHAM News 1b Station Square Flitwick, Bedfordshire MK45 1DP or email to: editor@phamnewsedit.co.uk

26/02/2021 15:41

PHAM MAR21:Layout 1 26/02/2021 14:59 Page 11

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Exhibition Preview 11

Industry showcase comes to you The ongoing challenges created by the Covid-˚ˢ pandemic may have resulted in restrictions to travel and public gatherings, but digital technology will enable the industry’s biggest exhibition to once again bring together exhibitors, experts and visitors ĕŋũ ƩƑā ùÖƘŭ Ģł mÖũóĞ̍

Ğā ƩũŭŶ ùĢėĢŶÖķ āùĢŶĢŋł of ISH is set to open its virtual doors on mŋłùÖƘ ˛˛łù mÖũóĞ and will run for ƩƑā ùÖƘŭ̍ ŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ ŋƦāũĢłė Öł opportunity to get up to speed with new technologies, market trends and the latest product innovations, the international ŭĞŋƒóÖŭā Öķŭŋ ŋƦāũŭ ŋłķĢłā visitors the opportunity to participate in an extensive ťũŋėũÖĿĿā ŋĕ ŶĞāĿāù āƑāłŶŭ̍ While visitors will no doubt be disappointed not to be able to take advantage of the traditional hospitality of exhibitor stands, the

event organisers are promising to entice a sizeable following with a series of special shows, panel discussions, competitions and āƗóķŽŭĢƑā ŶŋŽũŭ̍

Any time, any place During the presentations and live sessions, visitors will have the opportunity to interact with speakers, ask questions and take ťÖũŶ Ģł ťÖłāķ ùĢŭóŽŭŭĢŋłŭ̍ zł Ŷŋť of this, recorded lectures and product displays will be available for viewing around the clock, providing everyone with the option to log on to the show at a ŶĢĿā Öłù ťķÖóā ŶĞÖŶ ŭŽĢŶŭ ŶĞāĿ̍

Finding solutions The worldwide drive to deliver low carbon energy solutions will be a major focus of the digital event, with presentations on heating solutions and systems that make a decisive contribution to achieving óķĢĿÖŶā ŶÖũėāŶŭ̍ ėÖĢłŭŶ ŶĞā ðÖóĴėũŋŽłù ŋĕ the Covid pandemic, particular emphasis will also be given to the important subject of ventilation and air óŋłùĢŶĢŋłĢłė āŨŽĢťĿāłŶ̍ złā ŋĕ ŶĞā ĕŋóÖķ ťŋĢłŶŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā Ģũ !ŋłùĢŶĢŋłĢłė DŋũŽĿ ƒĢķķ ðā the use of ventilation systems, taking account of the challenges presented by the current pandemic and highlighting some of the latest ŭóĢāłŶĢƩó ƩłùĢłėŭ̍ ¦Ğā ŽĢķùĢłė DŋũŽĿ ƒĢķķ also examine subjects from ŶĞā Ʃāķù ŋĕ ĢłŶāķķĢėāłŶ ðŽĢķùĢłė services technology with lectures, discussion formats Öłù ķĢƑā ðũŋÖùóÖŭŶŭ ĕũŋĿ māŭŭā DũÖłĴĕŽũŶ̪ŭ ťŋùóÖŭŶ ŭŶŽùĢŋ̍ āƪāóŶĢłė ĢłóũāÖŭĢłė óŋłóāũłŭ about hygiene in the bathroom, the sanitation industry is set to present a number of smart solutions to meet consumer āƗťāóŶÖŶĢŋłŭ̍ The ISH water section will focus on safe drinking water and also highlight potential solutions for public washrooms and domestic bathrooms, such as dirt and bacteria resistant

surfaces, touch-free operation, ũĢĿķāŭŭ ƪŽŭĞĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ Öłù āķāóŶũŋłĢó ðĢùāŶŭ̍ The ‘Pop up my Bathroom’ trend platform will be part of R N 'ĢėĢŶÖķ̍ ¦ÖĴĢłė ŶĞā ĕŋũĿ of an online magazine, it will include a one-hour programme of information and stream daily contributions on subjects of topical interest and bathroom ťķÖłłĢłė Ŷũāłùŭ̍

Logging on ¦ŋ Ʃłù ŋŽŶ Ğŋƒ Ŷŋ ũāėĢŭŶāũ Öłù ŶÖĴā ťÖũŶ Ģł ŶĞā ƩƑā ùÖƘ āƑāłŶ̇ ŭĢĿťķƘ āłŶāũ ŶĞā ķĢłĴ ðāķŋƒ Ģł ƘŋŽũ ðũŋƒŭāũ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˚˙

HORROR SHOW

To celebrate the launch of Plumb App Uk, we present a series of images sent in by Plumb App Uk users showing some truly horriﬁc sights installers have unearthed in the ﬁeld.

NEW APPOINTMENTS

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

People on the Move

The new technical director at BSRIA is Tom Garrigan. Tom joined the non-profit organisation in 2007 as a test engineer and has gained in that time broad experience of the sector. He became business manager for the BSRIA Test House in 2015 and is well known for his expertise, both in the UK and overseas.

New to the senior management team at Lecico Bathrooms is John Richards, who has been appointed to the role of senior product manager. John will be responsible for managing the company’s growing product portfolio. He previously worked in senior positions at Wolseley, Travis Perkins and Homebase.

Gurpreet Muctor is the new chief digital officer at ristan roup. urpreet has more than 20 years of leadership experience in designing innovative business models and introducing new services to market, as well as directing the digital strategies for multinational telecoms, utilities and manufacturing companies.

Imperial Bathrooms has appointed Matthew Handley as its new supply chain manager. With over 16 years experience in the manufacturing sector, Matthew will be responsible for monitoring both global and regional supply chains, as well as planning logistics, evaluating purchasing strategies and helping to oversee order fulfilment.

OSO Hotwater UK has welcomed Claire Yeoman to the team, where she joins as marketing coordinator. Claire brings an array of marketing skills and experience to her role, which will not only support the development of key marketing strategies but also strengthen the OSO brand within the industry.

Gastite has added a new member to its sales force. Martin Hunter oins the T firm as a technical sales manager looking after customers in the south of England. Within his role Martin will support contractors, consultants, installers and merchants, delivering technical support and training.

Neil Swallow has joined RAK Ceramics as regional retail manager for the South. Neil brings a wealth of experience to the role, having worked in the bathroom industry for 33 years. As well as holding positions such as account manager and national sales manager, Swallow also managed his own showroom for six years.

Birmingham based J S Wright has appointed Gerry McNally to the position of mechanical project manager. With 0 years experience across a number of sectors in the building industry, Gerry was previously project manager for the Birmingham branch of another M&E services provider.

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02/03/2021 11:11

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Business Matters

Training Update 13

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Support when you need it most Over the last 12 months, the UK’s installer base has worked tirelessly to perform essential service and repair work and ensure that customers are safe and warm in their homes.

ne such installer is Michael Dawes, of Your Plumbing, based in Northumberland. Restrictions to working during the first lockdown saw Michael’s business face uncertain times. However, by leaning on the support available to him, including the Vaillant homeSAFE programme, Michael has been able to ensure he’s been able to continue to remain open. “As with everyone, the last 12 months have been really tough,” says Michael. “But throughout all the uncertainty, the support on offer from Vaillant has been invaluable. Like many installers, overnight in March 2020, my business was forced to close. Having online training available in the form of Vaillant’s Business Clinics meant I was able to invest in my learning, which has already proved worthwhile when it comes to generating new business. The homeSAFE programme really demonstrated that they really care about me and my business, both now and in the future.”

Winter demand The winter months are synonymous with an increase in call outs for installers, but add in a UK-wide lockdown and those working have faced even more challenges when it comes to carrying out maintenance and repairs in customers’ homes. With current guidance stating tradespeople can continue to enter people’s homes for the purpose of working, many operating in the industry will be looking for support and guidance when it comes to working safely. Advice has been offered from both industry and the government, with the likes of BEIS producing guidance on ‘in home and to home’ work, while Health and Safety England also created a series of resources which provide guidance on identifying risks to those entering customers’ homes. Yet, with research from Eureka identifying around three quarters of plumbing and heating businesses are somewhat, or very, nervous about the next 12 months for their business, it’s clear that manufacturers, more than ever, need to do all they can to support those heating professionals, and boost business confidence.

Helping hand Manufacturer support has come a long way from offering freebies and product datasheets. Today, installers are looking for help and advice which they can use to grow their business, including training and through loyalty programmes. At Vaillant we successfully launched our homeSAFE programme last year and we’ve already

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issued over 2500 of our PPE kits to help hardworking installers. The homeSAFE scheme is designed to do more than just provide installers with vital PPE - it’s about providing them with the skills and materials to protect themselves and provide homeowners with confidence that they will reduce any risk and work safely in their homes. In a busy time for installers, we expect to see an increase in homeowners who are looking to tradespeople to demonstrate they are operating within safety guidelines before, during, and after entering their homes.

On the right course As part of our commitment to support installers, the Vaillant homeSAFE programme also offers online training covering the latest health and safety legislation, and advice on conducting risk assessments. Once complete, installers are able to take advantage of a wealth of resources which can help them demonstrate they are operating safely, from visual infographics to literature which can be given to a customer before and after a visit, detailing what they can expect and ensure their safety. We’re delighted that hundreds of installers have already successfully completed the homeSAFE course and are able to put into action the valuable support on offer to them to ensure they can continue to work safely. Michael concludes: “The homeSAFE programme has not only helped me to operate safely and with the correct PPE, but it’s also helped me massively when it comes to reassuring my customers that my business is operating safely, and their wellbeing is my priority.”

Vaillant homeSAFE To take advantage of the Vaillant homeSAFE programme, or to learn more about the range of installer support on offer to help your business, visit: www.vaillant-advance.co.uk

New centre aims to improve standards A new training centre has opened its doors in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, with the aim of addressing the national shortage of qualified gas heating engineers. The National Gas Centre for Excellence (NGCFE) says it hopes to drive up standards by providing an alternative to the tick-box approach of many other training centres. The 6000ft2 training and assessment facility will run courses covering gas, plumbing, and health and safety and will focus on the needs of the engineer – from those just completing basic training to fully qualified engineers wishing to update their certificates. MD Michael Hunt is himself a qualified heating engineer and says he has had first-hand experience of the ‘production line’ approach to training.

He says: “I’m determined to set new standards of excellence when it comes to training and customer service to encourage more people into what is a rewarding career.” Just under £200,000 has been invested to equip the centre – which is situated close to the M62 and A1 – with workshop and classroom spaces fully kitted out with the latest heating, ventilation, and plumbing technology. In addition, a large area has been allocated for future training requirements involved in the renewable sector, including hydrogen heating systems. Michael adds: “More than half of all qualified gas engineers are aged over 55

Online heat pumps course The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has teamed up with Worcester Bosch and the Home Builders Federation (HBF) to deliver an online training course on heat pumps. The course will be delivered through BESA’s online training Academy and to

and as they leave or retire, they are not being replaced at a fast-enough rate. We want to provide a quality alternative to the many fast-track training centres that sprang up as a result. “The engineers are our customers and we really care about the quality of training they receive and the overall experience they have when they visit our centre, which we believe to be the best in the UK. “Whilst we will initially provide all the current mandatory training requirements for heating and plumbing, including ACS/ CCN1, we are also preparing for future technologies .” ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/12

kickstart the scheme, which goes live this month, 700 free places are being offered to qualified plumbing and heating engineers (there will be a charge from May onwards). “Our combined expertise means we can include the most up-to-date knowledge in the training and use people who really understand the subject to deliver it,” says the Association's director of training, Helen Yeulet. To find out more, use the link below: ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/13

Support for renewables training The Renewable Heat Installer Training & Support Scheme (RHITSS) has now launched, offering installers up to 70% off the training and associated certification required to become a heat pump or solar thermal engineer. Managed by GTEC in partnership with MCS, funding covers renewable qualifications, plus any other pre-requisite courses – such as energy efficiency or hot water systems. Providing a package of support, GTEC will help individual installers and businesses find a suitable training location, and guide them through the process of MCS and TrustMark registration. It is estimated that a minimum package of training and certification is

worth approximately £1300. Companies have been able to register their interest since the start of the year and, at the time of going to press, over 500 have signed up. Based in Hawes, North Yorkshire, GTEC specialises in the provision of renewable, domestic energy, oil, and electrical courses,

including bespoke training programmes. The company also offers expert witness and many other specialist services within the building service industry. Companies interested in applying for RHITSS funding can use the link below to find out more. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/14

01/03/2021 12:03

PHAM MAR21:Layout 1 02/03/2021 16:38 Page 14

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

CIPHE Viewpoint Access over aesthetics

ÂĞƘ ũāŶũŋƩŶŶĢłė TMVs matters With the rising numbers of burns and scalding incidents from domestic hot water systems, Jerry Whiteley, technical manager at the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, ĿÖĴāŭ ŶĞā óÖŭā ĕŋũ ũāŶũŋƩŶŶĢłė ¦mÁŭ̍

ast year, there was a ˛˞% increase in hospital admissions due to burn injuries caused by contact with heating appliances, radiators and pipes, according to NHS Hospital 1ťĢŭŋùā ŶÖŶĢŭŶĢóŭ ĕŋũ 1łėķÖłù̍ ¦Ğāũā ƒÖŭ also a ˢ% rise, between ˛˙˚ˢ and ˛˙˛˙, in ŶĞā łŽĿðāũ ŋĕ ŭóÖķùĢłė ĢłóĢùāłŶŭ ĕũŋĿ ŶÖťŭ̍ ¦Ğāŭā ƩėŽũāŭ ŭĞŋƒ Ö óķāÖũ ũĢŭĴ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ťŽðķĢó̇ and that action to stop burns and scalds ĕũŋĿ ĞÖťťāłĢłė Ģł ŶĞā ĞŋĿā Ģŭ ũāŨŽĢũāù̍ ¦Ğā ũĢŭĴŭ ŋĕ ùŋĿāŭŶĢó ðŽũłŭ Öłù ŭóÖķùŭ Ģŭ a long-ŭŶÖłùĢłė óŋłóāũł̍ NŋƒāƑāũ̇ ŭĢłóā the pandemic began and time being spent at home has increased, in addition to more frequent and thorough hand-washing, so there has been more opportunity for burns Öłù ŭóÖķùĢłė ĢłóĢùāłŶŭ Ŷŋ ŋóóŽũ̍ With this in mind, it is crucial that water coming out of taps is at a safe temperature, while at the same time the stored water is also maintained between ˞˞ºC and ˟˙ºC to

āłŭŽũā ŶĞÖŶ dāėĢŋłāķķÖ ðÖóŶāũĢÖ óÖłłŋŶ ėũŋƒ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ Ģŭ ƒĞāũā ¦mÁŭ Öũā ĴāƘ̇ Öŭ ŶĞāƘ Öķķŋƒ ĕŋũ water to be stored at a high temperature, but Ŷŋ āƗĢŶ ŋŽŶķāŶŭ ÖŶ Ö ŭÖĕā ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā̍ ¦Ğāũā Öũā Ŷƒŋ ùĢƦāũāłŶ ŶƘťāŭ ŋĕ ¦mÁ̆ ¦mÁ˛ Öłù ¦mÁ˜̍ Dŋũ ùŋĿāŭŶĢó ťũŋťāũŶĢāŭ̇ ŶĞā ¦mÁ˛ Ģŭ ŭŽĢŶÖðķā̇ ƒĞĢķā ŶĞā ¦mÁ˜ Ģŭ Žŭāù Ģł óŋĿĿāũóĢÖķ ŭāŶŶĢłėŭ̍ Dŋũ domestic properties, Part G of the Building Regulations state that new buildings and ̨óĞÖłėā ŋĕ Žŭā̪ Öũā ķāėÖķķƘ ũāŨŽĢũāù Ŷŋ ĞÖƑā ¦mÁŭ ĢłŭŶÖķķāù̇ ŭŋ ŶĞÖŶ ŶāĿťāũāù ƒÖŶāũ óÖł ðā ùāķĢƑāũāù Ŷŋ ŋŽŶķāŶŭ̍ Dŋũ āƗĢŭŶĢłė homes built prior to these regulations, CIPHE would like to see legislation ĢłŶũŋùŽóāù Ŷŋ Öķķŋƒ ĕŋũ ¦mÁŭ Ŷŋ ðā ĢłŭŶÖķķāù ũāŶũŋŭťāóŶĢƑāķƘ̍

Fitting advice ¦mÁŭ łāāù Ŷŋ ðā ĢłŭŶÖķķāù āĢŶĞāũ ÖŶ̇ ŋũ Ģł ƑāũƘ óķŋŭā ťũŋƗĢĿĢŶƘ Ŷŋ̇ ĞŋŶ ƒÖŶāũ ŋŽŶķāŶŭ to ensure best results, minimising any area

where water at an unsafe temperature is Ğāķù̍ Rł ŭŋĿā óÖŭāŭ̇ ¦mÁŭ ĿÖƘ ðā ƩŶŶāù Ģł an airing cupboard, commonly where the ĞŋŶ ƒÖŶāũ óƘķĢłùāũ Ģŭ ķŋóÖŶāù̍ ¦ĞĢŭ ùāóĢŭĢŋł Ģŭ ŶƘťĢóÖķķƘ ĿÖùā ĕŋũ óŋłƑāłĢāłóā̇ ðŽŶ ĢŶ is important to ensure that this is suitable ùāťāłùĢłė ŋł ŶĞā ùĢŭŶÖłóā̍ ¦mÁ ŭĞŋŽķù not be installed further than one meter away ĕũŋĿ ŶĞā ŋŽŶķāŶ̍ Nŋƒ ĿÖłƘ ¦mÁŭ łāāù Ŷŋ ðā ĢłŭŶÖķķāù Ģł Ö property is a commonly asked question that ŶĞā !R N1 ũāóāĢƑāŭ̇ ŭťāóĢƩóÖķķƘ ŭŽũũŋŽłùĢłė Ğŋƒ ĿÖłƘ ¦mÁŭ Öũā ũāŨŽĢũāù ĕŋũ ĿŽķŶĢťķā outlets - for example, if a homeowner has a bathroom layout where there may be two sinks and taps located back-to-ðÖóĴ̍ Rĕ ŋŽŶķāŶŭ are back-to-back, then installing multiple ¦mÁŭ Ģŭł̪Ŷ ũāŨŽĢũāù Öłù ķāŭŭ Ģŭ Ŀŋũā̇ Öŭ ŋłā ¦mÁ ƒĢķķ ŭŽƧóā Ŷŋ ťũāƑāłŶ ŭóÖķùĢłė ƒÖŶāũ ĕũŋĿ ðŋŶĞ ŋŽŶķāŶŭ̍ Dŋũ ťũŋťāũŶĢāŭ ƒĢŶĞ multiple hot water outlets located further ÖťÖũŶ̇ ŶĞāł ĿŽķŶĢťķā ¦mÁŭ ƒĢķķ ðā ũāŨŽĢũāù̍

Recent design trends for bathrooms can ťŋŭā ŭťāóĢƩó óĞÖķķāłėāŭ ƒĞāł ĢŶ óŋĿāŭ Ŷŋ ũāŶũŋƩŶŶĢłė Ö ¦mÁ̍ Dŋũ ĢłŭŶÖłóā̇ ĢŶ has become increasingly popular for homeowners to tile-Ģł̇ ŋũ ĞÖƑā ĕũāāstanding bathtubs rather than opting for Ö ũāĿŋƑÖðķā ðÖŶĞ ťÖłāķ̍ ¦Ğāũāĕŋũā̇ ƒĞāł ĢłŶũŋùŽóĢłė Ö ¦mÁ ŽłùāũłāÖŶĞ Ö ðÖŶĞ̇ future access for maintenance should be ùĢŭóŽŭŭāù̍ RŶ Ģŭ āŭŭāłŶĢÖķ Ŷŋ ũāÖķĢŭā ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞāŭā ŭĞŋŽķù łŋŶ ðā ũāėÖũùāù Öŭ ̨ƩŶ Öłù ĕŋũėāŶ̪ ùāƑĢóāŭ̇ Öłù ŶĞāƘ ŭĞŋŽķù ðā ŭāũƑĢóāù ũāėŽķÖũķƘ̍ When it comes to sinks, it is also common ĕŋũ ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ Ŷŋ óĞŋŋŭā ùāŭĢėł ŋƑāũ ĕŽłóŶĢŋł̇ ŋĕŶāł ŋťŶĢłė Ŷŋ ĞÖƑā łŋ ťāùāŭŶÖķ or a semi-ťāùāŭŶÖķ̍ Rĕ ÖāŭŶĞāŶĢóŭ Ģŭ Ö óŋłóāũł then it might be worth discussing ways to óŋłóāÖķ Ö ¦mÁ̇ ĕŋũ āƗÖĿťķā ƒĢŶĞ Öł ŽłùāũŭĢłĴ ĕŽũłĢŶŽũā ŽłĢŶ̍ RłŭŶÖķķāũŭ Öũā Žũėāù Ŷŋ stress the importance of stabilising water ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā Öłù ũāùŽóĢłė ŭóÖķùĢłė ũĢŭĴŭ̍ āóŋĿĿāłùĢłė ¦mÁŭ ƒĢķķ ũāùŽóā ŶĞā ũĢŭĴ of harm caused by hot water scalding, so it is important to speak with homeowners about how to increase their safety if they do not ÖķũāÖùƘ ĞÖƑā ¦mÁŭ ĢłŭŶÖķķāù̍ ¦ŋ ŭŽťťŋũŶ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ ƒĢŶĞ ĞŋŶ ƒÖŶāũ ŭÖĕāŶƘ ĢłĕŋũĿÖŶĢŋł̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ¦mÁŭ̇ ŶĞā !R N1 ŋƦāũŭ ĿāĿðāũŭ ùāùĢóÖŶāù ĢłĕŋũĿÖŶĢŋł Öłù ŶāóĞłĢóÖķ ėŽĢùÖłóā̍ For more information about the CIPHE, or to become a member, please contact the team via email: membership@ciphe. org.uk or call 01708 472791

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Domestic Boilers 17

Preparing for a hydrogen fuelled future What’s the latest on hydrogen-ready boilers and what developments can we expect to see in the coming months? Martyn Bridges from Worcester Bosch highlights some of the steps needed to prove that hydrogen is a viable low-carbon solution.

s we move further into 2021, hydrogen-ready boilers are taking centre stage on the journey to net-zero in 2050. While they are a relatively new technology, hydrogenready boilers are proving to be safe, effective and capable of operating just as your standard boiler might. A small number of trials have demonstrated this and, with plans in place for more ambitious trial sites, hydrogenready boilers will become a more credible zero-carbon solution. The outlook on the road to net-zero is looking positive, as hydrogen-ready boilers present themselves as a viable route for decarbonisation, and eventually 100% hydrogen in our homes, in the potentially not-so-distant future.

Global issue

Martyn Bridges

Director of technical communication and project management at Worcester Bosch

Worldwide, decarbonisation is the word on everyone’s lips. t therefore seems fitting that hydrogen-ready boilers have been tested in trials and considered by several countries as one of the ways towards decarbonisation. Indeed, the majority of European countries are now looking at removing gas, oil, LPG, and coal in its current form to replace it with zero or low carbon alternatives, such as hydrogen. In the UK, the two technologies best positioned

to replace gas and oil in its current form will be hydrogenready boilers and heat pumps, with hydrogen-ready boilers probably being the most suitable in existing properties.

Progress so far

This growing profile is partly due to the successful trials we have already seen to this point. For example, the HyStreet trial in Northumberland demonstrated the safety of creating a small network to carry 100% hydrogen, while the Keele University trial site saw 1 0-150 boilers running at a 20% hydrogen blend for over a year. Following this success, further trials will take place this year, such as a hydrogen village of 300 boilers in Scotland, and a site of 670 boilers in the North East of the country converted to run on a blend of up to 20%. Once it has been proven that this is possible, the boilers will ultimately be converted to run on 100% hydrogen once the fuel becomes available in the area to achieve targets set out in the 10-point plan and eventually net-zero.

Put into policy

However, before we reach 100% hydrogen conversion, blending the gas grid to higher concentrations of hydrogen will allow us to progress towards decarbonisation. In fact, adding a 20% blend of hydrogen to the natural gas grid would see

t Hydrogen-ready boilers under scrutiny at Worcester’s test facility

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around % of CO2 saved; a reasonable transition towards the ultimate goal of a zerocarbon economy. Even more positively, such a transition will be possible for all boilers made from around 2000 onwards without any changes being needed to these appliances. The ease of this transition, from natural gas to blend, and eventually to 100% hydrogen in our homes, is part of the reason behind the call by the industry and other in uences within government that hydrogen-ready boilers should be included in policy during the 2020s as the only solution, ensuring hydrogen conversion is possible when the time comes.

A clear path

With the possibilities shown by hydrogen blends comes the indication of a clear path towards net zero 2050. Hydrogen-blended boilers act as an intermediary step, offering an effective low-carbon solution until conversion to 100% hydrogen is possible. This is a path already playing out in trials sites such as Keele University and HyStreet, providing a positive outlook towards targets of a hydrogen village and even a city in future. With hydrogen-ready boilers set to play a key role this year in demonstrating effective low-carbon solutions, the somewhat daunting goal of netzero 2050 is becoming more tangible than ever before. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/1

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Domestic Boilers

Providing customers with the best option ow can you ensure that you are providing your customers with a boiler that will best meet their specific needs and future requirements i ie ikinson from deal eating highlights some of the key considerations.

new boiler is among the largest purchases that most homeowners will have to make. That s why it s essential installers tailor their recommendations not ust to suit individual homes and properties, but also the lifestyles of the people living in them. ere are the key factors installers should take into account when selecting the right boiler for their customers.

to highlight the benefits that can bring them. witching to a combi frees up space in the airing cupboard for storage, or moving to a system boiler from a conventional heat boiler means there s no need for an open tank in the loft, providing yet more space.

Best location

Lizzie Wilkinson A new boiler needs to be practical and fit neatly in the space that s been allocated to it. t also needs the right heating output to match the heating and hot water requirements of the home. n a large number of cases the boiler will be a like-for-like replacement into an existing system, although it s always worth checking that the capacity of the boiler matches the heating and in the case of a combi hot water demand of the property. t s also worth asking the homeowner if they re planning an extension, or the addition of an en-suite, or replacing their electric shower with a mains power shower in the near future, so any changes can be accounted for in your recommendation. n some cases, you might also be discussing more of a full system overhaul with your customer, and it s important

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Head of domestic product management at Ideal Heating

It’s also worth asking the homeowner if they’re planning an extension or replacing their electric shower with a main power shower in the near future

Ideal’s Halo wireless boiler thermostat is stylish and easy to set up

The location of the boiler is also an important consideration when selecting the right model. A discrete install in a kitchen or utility room cupboard is often an elegant and neat solution, where a compact cupboard fit will be your number one priority. ocation also has an impact on uing so make sure that the boiler you select has the right uing configuration for your install location, particularly in locations requiring longer ue runs or ue runs up through the roof. And, location could determine the accessories required, which will need factoring into the quote for parts and install time, such as using a stand-off kit to provide a neat solution for piping behind the boiler.

Customer priorities

t s also important to think about your customer when choosing a boiler and tailoring the selection to their priorities and needs. The length of warranty is often key for peace of mind and reassurance, and plays a big part in the decisionmaking process. lements such as premium components and easy-to-use, clear controls can also appeal to customers who want the very best appliance in their home. imilarly, a system filter, which should be fitted as standard good practice, also gives peace of mind to the homeowner that their system is protected. or many homeowners, the main interaction they have with the heating system isn t with the boiler, but the room thermostat so it s worth reviewing that with them at the same time. hoosing a smart heating control that offers an

The Ideal Logic System boiler, available in 15, 18, 24 and 30kW outputs, has standard kitchen cupboard

easier user interface than the old thermostat they ve had in the hall for years can really improve the interaction of the homeowner with their heating and help them to run it in the most efficient way possible. or example, our new alo ombi and alo ombi i- i compatible with deal ogic or Vogue combi boilers allow households to monitor and ad ust their heating schedules to suit their lifestyle. p to six heating periods can be programmed throughout the day, and users can vary the schedule from one day to the next. The alo ombi i- i also features internet connectivity and appcontrolled heating, enabling users to control their heating on-the-go, via their oogle ome or Ama on Alexa smart home assistant, or simply by their whereabouts. nside the box is the alo thermostat unit and the smart interface it communicates with, which fits into the aperture on the front of the boiler with no need for wiring. or installers, it s a simple question of plug, pair and play a process that takes ust a few minutes.

Boiler Plus

e can t write an article about selecting the right boiler without mentioning oiler lus. All replacement combi installs must comply with oiler lus, so it s vital to ensure your installation has a boiler with r efficiency over 2%, time and temperature control, and one of the four additional energy efficiency measures. This is another area where introducing smart controls can help. oth our alo ombi and alo ombi i-Fi provide time and temperature control and enhanced load compensation as standard. And the alo ombi i- i fulfils the additional oiler lus criteria for a smart control with automation and optimisation.

Going the extra mile

At deal eating, we re committed to ensuring we have a solution to suit every home. e pride ourselves on the efficiency, quality and reliability we offer, as well as ensuring our products are user-friendly and look the part. e re also dedicated to helping our loyal installers to provide the highest standards of service to their customers, and all our products have been designed with homeowners and installers at their heart. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/1

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Boilers

Fantastic ﬂue solutions Advances in the exibility of where boilers can be sited means ue systems have to deliver more. ean eleher from avien highlights the exibility of the latest ue systems and how this helps boiler installations in a variety of applications.

he ue is an essential part of any domestic boiler installation, in terms of both safety and efficiency. hen it comes to ue systems, exibility is key especially if the location of a boiler within a property is non-negotiable. Installers are already faced with a plethora of legislative requirements, so manufacturers have developed an array of ue options to ensure units can be fitted in a range of applications. A ue s design and diameter determine its maximum allowable length. The type most frequently fitted is the Ø60 100 concentric ue system, which can be installed either horizontally (through the wall) or vertically (through the roof). The distance by which these can be extended varies for each manufacturer, as the total ue lengths are determined by the ability of the boiler. As a result, some ues only extend to around 6- m, whereas other manufacturers, such as avien, are able to offer lengths up to 21m for far greater exibility with the company s oil boilers utilising the same plastic ues as their gas counterparts. oncentric systems comprise a very compact room sealed ue, where the air supply and exhaust gases are both managed within a one-piece duct system. This tube within a tube design means ue gases discharge through the inner duct, while

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Navien supplied this LBC oil boiler. Because the 13th to run up through the

up to 21

The LCB

oil boiler

combustion air is drawn in via the outer chamber.

The bends

Sean Keleher

National technical Manager, Navien

BY NUMBERS

60/100 21

Adding a 5 or 0 elbow to the ue also has an impact on its overall length. These elements will often be assigned an equivalent ue length by the manufacturer. This is important, as the permissible maximum equivalent length of the overall ue can in uence the siting of the actual boiler itself. o, for example, if this maximum distance was 20m, and a 5 elbow was deemed to have an equivalent ue length of 1m, that would leave a remainder of 1 m for the rest of the run. nstallers must always keep the equivalent ue length within the manufacturer s given figures, otherwise the boiler may not function as intended. f it is too long, combustion and ignition can be affected that can then lead to significant damage to the boiler. urthermore, when fitting a long ue, adequate support brackets should be used to ensure the whole run maintains its integrity.

In the long run

300 3

f course, the location of the boiler itself can also affect the type of ue system required. hen fitted in a kitchen or to the side outside wall of a property, ueing is straightforward and usually goes out the back of the unit and through the brickwork. owever, longer ues are

common for applications when a boiler is situated in an airing cupboard in the middle of a house, which calls for a vertical ue from the airing cupboard run up through the loft space and out through the roof. There are even more unusual circumstances: for example, we recently installed our 700 blue ame oil boiler in a basement and had to run a ue a considerable distance up the stairwell and through an external wall in order to exhaust the gases safely. ortunately, this unit offers vertical ue lengths of up to 21m – the longest available in oil boilers – as well as low x emissions, thanks to blue ame technology. These 21m ue lengths are achievable thanks to the presence of an air pressure sensor avien is the only manufacturer offering this sensor in its oil boilers.

Hatch access

There are some instances, such as in ats and apartments, when a long ue is run hori ontally through multiple rooms and then out through a side wall. n these circumstances, the ue must be housed inside a dedicated ue box , complete with hatches, to ensure access for maintenance, in accordance with Part J of the Building egulations. As ues are traditionally made up of onemeter sections, there are usually joints between the sections in the void inspection hatches or

access panels are required so these can be checked for issues such as corrosion, loose seals or other issues. Careful consideration also needs to be given when siting the ue and where it terminates. After all, as the gases from a condensing boiler form a visible cloud of water vapour. They should not be dispersed near an area where people gather such as a patio outside a kitchen or close to nearby properties, as stipulated in 5 0 1. or example, hori ontal ues must be fitted with a minimum distance of 300mm between the termination point and any ad acent opening window. ost manufacturers will offer plume management kits a single 60mm pipe that raises the termination point to a level where it cannot create an issue for neighbouring houses.

Passing the test

Once a heating system has been fitted, installers should conduct a ue integrity test to confirm all oints have been correctly assembled and there are no leaks or recirculation of any combustion products. This test sees the boiler set to its maximum rate and run for ten minutes, before a ue gas analyser is used to check the oxygen and CO2 levels are correct and everything is operating safely. Flues remain an integral part of any boiler installation. t is important engineers are familiar with the many options available – and aware that not all manufacturers offer the same ue lengths, which may in uence the suitability of one boiler over another. o, in addition to embracing the latest energy efficient products, they should also consider the ues best suited to each individual application. oing so will ensure maximum safety and legislative compliance, while providing customers boilers with longterm operational reliability and efficiency. ◼ /321/1

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Domestic Boilers

Future of oil is Ģł ŶĞā Ʃ āķùŭ łùũāƒ NŋŽłŭƩ āķù ŋĕ NŋŽłŭƩ āķù ŋĢķāũŭ ķŋŋĴŭ at the potential of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a ‘drop-in’, fossil-free fuel for oil boilers in homes that can’t readily convert to heat pumps.

he government has ambitions to become carbon neutral by ˛˙˞˙. Its policies have been geared towards heat pump technology for new ðŽĢķùŭ̇ Öłù łŋƒ̇ ŋķùāũ ŋƦ -grid properties are being encouraged to make the switch. But are heat pumps really the solution? And is there an alternative that could be a god-ŭāłù Ŷŋ ŶĞŋŭā ķĢƑĢłė ŋƦ -grid?

and other natural oils. The fuel is blended to be a consistent product, so homeowners can always rely on its performance. Independent research has also found the fuel to have a lower carbon intensity than electricity and biomass, and the use of HVO also reduces ˢ˙% of greenhouse emissions when it replaces oil as a fuel. Although HVO is still a relatively new product (in the UK), it has been used as a fuel for a variety of uses here, from agricultural vehicles to boats and even for generators at Glastonbury! However, HVO has some very attractive features for heating engineers and homeowners alike. It is hoped that the fuel can simply be added to existing oil boilers to ťŋƒāũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ ĕŋũ ŋƦ grid properties for years to come. OFTEC has also found HVO to ĞÖƑā ŭĢėłĢƩ óÖłŶ óŋŭŶ ŭÖƑĢłėŭ ðÖŭāù on a three-bedroom dwelling, and with low carbon emissions, this really could be a ‘wonder’ fuel for the ˛˚st century.

Striking oil

%RHVI[ ,SYRWƼ IPH 1( SJ ,SYRWƼ IPH &SMPIVW

Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is made from ˚˙˙% renewable and sustainable waste-derived raw ĿÖŶāũĢÖķŭ ŋĕ ũÖťāŭāāù̇ ŭŽłƪ ŋƒāũ

Ready to run Oil, like gas, is not an endless supply, so we have to seek a replacement, but with just a few X

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Domestic Boilers 23 ŶƒāÖĴŭ Ŷŋ Öł āłāũėƘ āƧóĢāłŶ oil boiler, the new HVO fuel is expected to run incredibly āƧóĢāłŶķƘ̍ RŶ̪ŭ ũāÖķķƘ ŶĞÖŶ ŭĢĿťķā̉ Homeowners would only need to call their heating engineer to ĿÖĴā ŭķĢėĞŶ ĿŋùĢƩóÖŶĢŋłŭ Ŷŋ ŶĞā boiler, such as adapting the size of the fuel injector nozzle, fuel pump pressure and blast tube, but after that the new HVO-Ʃũāù ŭƘŭŶāĿ would run as normal. Oil boilers, unlike gas, have for some time been reaching over ˢ˟ͮ āƧóĢāłóƘ ũÖŶĢłėŭ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ means the new fuel supply will be heading into incredibly energy āƧóĢāłŶ ĿÖóĞĢłāŭ̍

Government rethink Agricultural vehicles, lorries and many other users are already using HVO, so surely it is only a matter of time before the government realises that oil boilers, instead of being the problem, can actually provide a quick and cost āƦāóŶĢƑā ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł to the carbon crisis. NāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ R̪Ŀ ŭŽũā ĞÖƑā ŶĞāĢũ place, especially in new build. But for older style properties, which Öũā ũāķĢÖłŶ Žťŋł ŋƦ-grid fuel sources, the costs are truly eyewatering.

Heat pump issues

More research

A heat pump is not compatible with everyday radiators - the entire heating system needs to be ripped out of existing ťũŋťāũŶĢāŭ Öłù łāƒ Žłùāũƪŋŋũ heating needs to be put in place. Homeowners need to completely redevelop their properties to accommodate these changes and the energy and cost savings are still questionable. Surely it can’t really be environmentally friendly to rip out a perfectly good heating system and dump it in a recycling centre, when a new drop-in fuel can perfectly meet our needs and sustainable promises. R ÖĿ ťÖŭŭĢŋłÖŶā ÖðŋŽŶ ũāùŽóĢłė the carbon footprint of the boiler ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ Öłù R ŶũŽķƘ ðāķĢāƑā ŶĞÖŶ ‘being green’ is more than just ŶĞā āƧóĢāłóƘ ŋĕ ŶĞā ðŋĢķāũ Öłù what fuels it. We should be having a long hard look at how long ŋŽũ ťũŋùŽóŶŭ ķÖŭŶ̍ RŶ̪ŭ ťŋĢłŶķāŭŭ ĞÖƑĢłė Ö ĞĢėĞķƘ āƧóĢāłŶ ðŋĢķāũ if it is only built to last ten years and needs an endless supply of replacement parts during that ťāũĢŋù̍ R̪Ƒā ŭŋŽũóāù ťÖũŶŭ ĕŋũ ŋŽũ boilers which last a lifetime, such Öŭ ÖĢũóũÖĕŶ ėũÖùā ¦āƪŋł Ğŋŭāŭ instead of rubber, and they will not degrade or need replacement.

Ŷ NŋŽłŭƩāķù ƒā̪Ƒā ĢłƑāŭŶāù Ģł on-going research to ensure our boilers will provide optimum ťāũĕŋũĿÖłóā ƒĢŶĞ NÁż Öŭ R ŭāā it as the future for our industry. Given all of the environmental ðāłāƩŶŭ ŋĕ NÁż R óÖłłŋŶ understand why the government are not leading research into HVO use in the UK, given the strong carbon-neutral credentials it possesses.

Act fast! According to OFTEC, HVO in domestic boiler trials in Europe are going very well and the ƩėŽũāŭ ķŋŋĴ ƑāũƘ āłóŋŽũÖėĢłė̍ R ÖĿ ÖķũāÖùƘ āłùŽũÖłóātesting my boilers to future proof them ready for HVO, Öłù R ðāķĢāƑā zD¦1! ŭĞŋŽķù ðā more proactive lobbying the government to investigate the ðāłāƩŶŭ ŋĕ NÁz̍ RŶ̪ŭ ƑĢŶÖķ ĕŋũ ðŋŶĞ sustainability and for British boiler manufacturers to develop ŋĢķ Ʃũāù ðŋĢķāũŭ ŶĞÖŶ Öũā NÁzready. As a nation we are already slightly behind the curve, but we can regain ground and even take the lead, but we need support from the government and swift action.

Compact boiler range Hounsfield Boilers offers wall-mounted external and internal oil fired boilers, with an output of ˚˛ - ˚ˢkW. Both models are equipped with the same high specifications: aircraft grade stainless steel Teflon cored flexible hose that will not rot or degrade, an Elco burner, plus thicker insulation to retain heat and reduce noise. The external wall-hung models also include a frost thermostat which senses water temperature rather than air, tough weather-proof casing and a compact ˟˝˙ x ˠ˟˙ x ˜˛˙mm size. Every boiler undergoes a series of quality checks during manufacture, including the burner which is test fired and is prebled with kerosene. To save time during installation, the oil filter and fire valve kit come pre-assembled. MD Andrew Hounsfield says: “We’ve designed our boilers to be the most cost effective, durable and easy-to- install on the market. All of our Tuscan boilers come with a five-year no-quibble warranty, and all come with everything in the box – even the masonry drill-bit for wall-mounted boilers – so there will be no need for dashes down to the merchants to get a part. We’re really proud that our customers keep returning to Hounsfield as they know they can rely on the quality of the design and manufacture as well as know the boilers are incredibly easy to install and service.” ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˚ˡ

PHAM MAR21:Layout 1 01/03/2021 15:55 Page 24

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Domestic Boilers

'ŋł̪Ŷ ĕŋũėāŶ ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ With more people working from home, it’s essential to ensure that domestic ðŋĢķāũŭ Öũā ŋťāũÖŶĢłė ÖŶ ĿÖƗĢĿŽĿ āƧ óĢāłóƘ̍ RÖł ¦ũŋŶŶ ĕũŋĿ ÖƗĢ ĞĢėĞķĢėĞŶŭ Ğŋƒ Ö óŋũũāóŶķƘ Ʃ ŶŶāù Ʃ ķŶāũ óÖł ĢĿťũŋƑā ťāũĕŋũĿÖłóā Öłù Ğāķť ŭÖƑā ŋł āłāũėƘ̍

uring times of āóŋłŋĿĢó ŽłóāũŶÖĢłŶƘ homeowners want peace of mind that their heating ŭƘŭŶāĿ Ģŭ ƒŋũĴĢłė āƧ óĢāłŶķƘ̇ so it’s important for installers Ŷŋ óŋĿĿŽłĢóÖŶā ŶĞā ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ ŋĕ ĞÖƑĢłė Ö ĿÖėłāŶĢó Ʃ ķŶāũ Ʃ ŶŶāù Ŷŋ Ğāķť ŭÖƑā ĿŋłāƘ Öłù ĢłóũāÖŭā ŶĞā ķĢĕāŭťÖł ŋĕ Ö ðŋĢķāũ̍

Ö ĿÖėłāŶ ƒĞĢóĞ óŋķķāóŶŭ ÖłƘ ĿÖėłāŶĢŶā ƪ ŋƒĢłė ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ŶĞā ťĢťāƒŋũĴ̍ ¦Ğā ùāðũĢŭ Ģŭ óŋķķāóŶāù Ģł ŶĞā ŭķāāƑā ŋĕ ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ ƒĞĢķā ƒÖŶāũ Ģŭ ŭťŽł Ģł Ö óƘóķŋłā ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ĢŶ̇ ĞāķťĢłė ÖłƘ łŋł-magnetic debris to be collected in a separate part ŋĕ ŶĞā ŽłĢŶ̍ Ģłóā `Žłā ˛˙˚ˢ, the ũĢŶĢŭĞ ŶÖłùÖũù ĞÖŭ ĿÖłùÖŶāù that it is best practice for all ùŋĿāŭŶĢó ðŋĢķāũŭ Ŷŋ ðā Ʃ ŶŶāù ƒĢŶĞ Öł in-ķĢłā Ʃ ķŶāũ̍

ÂĞƘ Ʃ Ŷ Ö Ʃ ķŶāũ̎ ¦Ğā óŋĿðĢłÖŶĢŋł ŋĕ ĿāŶÖķŭ̇ ƒÖŶāũ Öłù ŋƗƘėāł ƒĢŶĞĢł ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ can result in corrosion and the build-Žť ŋĕ ùāðũĢŭ̇ ťũāƑāłŶĢłė ĞŋŶ ƒÖŶāũ ĕũŋĿ ƪ ŋƒĢłė ĕũāāķƘ ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ŶĞā ŭƘŭŶāĿ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ óÖł óÖŽŭā ťŋŋũ ĞāÖŶ ťāũĕŋũĿÖłóā̇ ťũāƑāłŶĢłė radiators from heating up, taking longer to warm the home, or ùÖĿÖėĢłė ŶĞā ŭƘŭŶāĿ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ óÖł reduce the lifespan of the boiler and ķāÖù Ŷŋ óŋŭŶķƘ ðũāÖĴùŋƒłŭ̍ ŋĢķāũ Ʃ ķŶāũŭ Öũā ùāŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ óķāÖł ŶĞā ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿ ŽŭĢłė

āŭŶ ťķÖóā

Ian Trott

Technical manager at Baxi

ŭ ĿÖłƘ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ ƒĢķķ Ĵłŋƒ̇ ŶĞā ðāŭŶ ťŋŭĢŶĢŋł ĕŋũ ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ Ģŭ ŋł ŶĞā ũāŶŽũł ťĢťā Öŭ ŶĞĢŭ ťũāƑāłŶŭ ùāðũĢŭ ĕũŋĿ ŶũÖƑāķķĢłė ĢłŶŋ ŶĞā ðŋĢķāũ̍ ¦Ğā ÖƗĢ ˡ˙˙ range of boilers come with an ADEY Micro ˛ Ʃ ķŶāũ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ ŋłķƘ requires ˢˡmm of pipe to be cut out ĕŋũ ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ Ŷŋ ðā ĢłŭŶÖķķāù̍ ÂĢŶĞĢł ŶĞā ťÖóĴ ĕŋũ ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ Öũā ƑÖķƑāŭ̍ ¦Ğāŭā ĢłóŋũťŋũÖŶā Ö ŭķĢť ŭŋóĴāŶ ŶĞÖŶ āłÖðķāŭ āÖŭƘ Ʃ ŶŶĢłė̍ ¦ĞāƘ óÖł ðā Žŭāù Ŷŋ ťŽŭĞ ŶĞā ƑÖķƑāŭ ŋłŶŋ ŶĞā ťĢťā Öłù ťŽķķāù ðÖóĴ Ŷŋ Ʃ Ŷ

ŶĞā ėÖť̇ ŭŋ ŶĞāũā̪ŭ łŋ łāāù Ŷŋ ĿŋƑā pipes around once the section has ðāāł óŽŶ ŋŽŶ̍ ÂĞāł óÖũũƘĢłė ŋŽŶ ŶĞā ƒŋũĴ̇ it’s important to use the locator guide in the pack to ensure the óŋłłāóŶĢŋłŭ Öũā Ģł ķĢłā̍ ¦ÖĴā łŋŶā of the guidance on which location Ŷŋ Ʃ Ŷ ŶĞā ƑÖķƑāŭ̇ ũāĿŋƑā ŶĞā ėŽĢùā̇ Öłù ÖŶŶÖóĞ ŶĞā ŽłĢŶ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ƑÖķƑāŭ ðƘ ŭĢĿťķƘ ťŽŭĞĢłė ĢŶ ŋł̍ ¦Ğāũā Ģŭ Ö óŋķķÖũ ŶĞÖŶ ŭĢŶŭ ðāŶƒāāł ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ Öłù ŶĞā ƑÖķƑāŭ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ Öķķŋƒŭ ĕŋũ āÖŭƘ ũāĿŋƑÖķ ŋĕ ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ ĕŋũ ÖłƘ ŭāũƑĢóĢłė ũāŨŽĢũāĿāłŶŭ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ óŋķķÖũ ĞÖŭ Ö Ğŋķā Öłù ťĢł ŭƘŭŶāĿ ƒĞĢóĞ ťũāƑāłŶŭ ÖóóĢùāłŶÖķ ũāķāÖŭā ŋĕ ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ̇ ŭŋ ĿÖĴā ŭŽũā ŶĞā óŋķķÖũ Ģŭ Ʃ ŶŶāù ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā ťĢł Ģł ťķÖóā Ģł ŋũùāũ Ŷŋ ķŋóĴ ĢŶ Ģł̍

āėŽķÖũ ŭāũƑĢóā Ʃ ķŶāũ ŭĞŋŽķù ðā ŭāũƑĢóāù ÖłłŽÖķķƘ Ģł ŶĞā ŭÖĿā ƒÖƘ Ö ðŋĢķāũ Ģŭ̇ Ŷŋ óķāÖł ŋŽŶ ÖłƘ ðŽĢķù-Žť ŋĕ ùāðũĢŭ̍ ÂĞāł ùŋĢłė ŶĞĢŭ ĢŶ óÖł ðā ðāłāƩ óĢÖķ Ŷŋ show the homeowner the debris ũāĿŋƑāù ðƘ ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ̇ Ŷŋ Ğāķť ŶĞāĿ ŽłùāũŭŶÖłù ŶĞā ĴāƘ ũŋķā ĢŶ ťķÖƘŭ Ģł ĢĿťũŋƑĢłė ŶĞā āƧ óĢāłóƘ ŋĕ ŶĞāĢũ ŭƘŭŶāĿ̍ ÂĞĢķā ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ ƒŋł̪Ŷ ũāùŽóā ƪ ŋƒ ũÖŶā ƒĞāł ĕŽķķ̇ it will stop collecting debris, so a ŭāũƑĢóā Ģŭ āŭŭāłŶĢÖķ Ŷŋ ĿÖĢłŶÖĢł ťāũĕŋũĿÖłóā̍ ¦ŋ ŭāũƑĢóā ŶĞā Ʃ ķŶāũ̇ ŶĞā ðŋŶŶŋĿ Ģŭ Žłŭóũāƒāù ŋƑāũ Ö ðŋƒķ̇ ũāķāÖŭĢłė

ÖłƘ ƒÖŶāũ ƒĢŶĞĢł ŶĞā ŽłĢŶ̍ ¦Ğā Ʃ ķŶāũ ŭťÖłłāũ ťũŋƑĢùāù óÖł ŶĞāł ðā Žŭāù Ŷŋ ũāĿŋƑā ŶĞā ĿÖėłāŶ ĕũŋĿ ƒĢŶĞĢł̇ Öķŋłė ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā ùāðũĢŭ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ óÖł ŭĢĿťķƘ ðā ƒÖŭĞāù ÖƒÖƘ ðāĕŋũā a close inspection of all the seals and the rubber O-rings, which if ùÖĿÖėāù ŋũ óŋƑāũāù Ģł ùāðũĢŭ óÖł óÖŽŭā ķāÖĴŭ̍ RŶ Ģŭ ŶĞāũāĕŋũā Ö ėŋŋù ĢùāÖ Ŷŋ ĞÖƑā Ö ŭāÖķ ĴĢŶ̇ ıŽŭŶ Ģł óÖŭā Ö ũāťķÖóāĿāłŶ Ģŭ łāāùāù̍

!ŽŭŶŋĿāũ ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ Explaining the longŶāũĿ ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ ŋĕ Ʃ ŶŶĢłė Ö Ʃ ķŶāũ óÖł Ğāķť Ŷŋ āùŽóÖŶā ŶĞā óŽŭŶŋĿāũ Öłù ĢłóũāÖŭā ŶũŽŭŶ̍ ŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ ĢĿťÖóŶĢłė āƧ óĢāłóƘ̇ ŋłā ŋĕ ŶĞā ĴāƘ ĢŭŭŽāŭ ƒĢŶĞ ùāðũĢŭ build-Žť Ģŭ ĢŶ ŋĕŶāł Ģŭł̪Ŷ óŋƑāũāù ðƘ existing boiler warranties, so if it blocks the heat exchanger it could ķāÖù Ŷŋ āƗťāłŭĢƑā ũāťÖĢũŭ ĕŋũ ŶĞā ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũ̍ Helping the customer to ŽłùāũŭŶÖłù ŶĞā ƑÖķŽā ŋĕ ÖùùĢłė Ö Ʃ ķŶāũ Ģŭ ŶĞāũāĕŋũā Ö ėũāÖŶ ƒÖƘ to build rapport and outline the ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ̇ ĕũŋĿ ũāùŽóĢłė āłāũėƘ ðĢķķŭ Ŷŋ ĢłóũāÖŭĢłė āƧ óĢāłóƘ ŋĕ ŶĞāĢũ ŭƘŭŶāĿ Öłù ĿĢłĢĿĢŭĢłė ŶĞā ķĢĴāķĢĞŋŋù ŋĕ ðũāÖĴùŋƒłŭ̍ ŽĢķùĢłė trust and understanding with the ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũ ƒĢķķ Öķŭŋ ĿāÖł ŶĞāƘ Öũā Ŀŋũā ķĢĴāķƘ Ŷŋ óŋłŶÖóŶ ƘŋŽ ĕŋũ ÖłƘ ĕŽŶŽũā ƒŋũĴ ŶĞāƘ łāāù ùŋĢłė̇ ŭŋ ĢŶ Ģŭ ðāłāƩ óĢÖķ ĕŋũ ðŋŶĞ ťÖũŶĢāŭ̍

ͻ ťĞÖĿłāƒŭ̍óŋ̍ŽĴ̓˜˛˚̓˚ˢ

IT’S THE DETAIL THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE Introducing our advanced, award winning Tucsan range of oil-fired boilers designed and built in Britain for high-quality, e ciency and style. All models come with a five year “no quibble” warranty.

Call 01449 722461

enquiries@hounsfieldboilers.co.uk www.hounsfieldboilers.co.uk

Visible neon indicators on all models

Elco burner made to our specification

Single pipe oil supply system, no need for a Tigerloop

Plug & Play sockets for easy installation Fully insulated casing and heat exchanger Life-long stainless steel turbulators Life-long aircraft grade oil line will never need replacing

PHAM MAR21:Layout 1 26/02/2021 15:00 Page 25

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Domestic Boilers 25

From oil to fossil free Claiming to manufacture the most efficient oil boiler on the market, Firebird’s Envirogreen range offers ˢˠ̍˞% efficiency and NOx emissions as low as 6˙mg/kWhr, which is half the EU ķĢĿĢŶ̍ NÖƑĢłė ũāÖóĞāù ŶĞĢŭ ĿĢķāŭŶŋłā̇ the company is now working towards models that are less reliant on fossil fuels, such as ones using hydrotreated ƑāėāŶÖðķā ŋĢķŭ ̛NÁz̜̍ According to Gary Davies, UK łÖŶĢŋłÖķ ŭÖķāŭ ĿÖłÖėāũ̆ ̦NÁz óÖł

work with any liquid fuel boiler, and if used in homes it can potentially make these homes almost carbon neutral ĢĿĿāùĢÖŶāķƘ̧̍ The company plans to manufacture Envirogreen boilers that are easily convertible so they are ready to use fossil ĕũāā NÁż ƒĢŶĞ ıŽŭŶ Ö ĕāƒ ÖùıŽŭŶĿāłŶŭ̍ ¦Ğāũā Öũā łŋ ŭĢėłĢĕĢóÖłŶ up-ĕũŋłŶ óÖťĢŶÖķ óŋŭŶŭ̇ ıŽŭŶ ŶĞā ĢłŶũŋùŽóŶĢŋł ŋĕ Öł NÁz ðŽũłāũ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ðŋĢķāũ̍ DĢũāðĢũù ŭÖƘŭ ĢŶ ĞÖŭ ĕĢũŭŶĞÖłù āƗťāũĢāłóā ƒĢŶĞ NÁzŭ̇ Öŭ ŶĞā óŋĿťÖłƘ uses the fuel to power its plants in Plymouth and Newry, and recently introduced it into its plant in Cork, RũāķÖłù̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˛˙

Longer warranties part of the package Following the launch of ‘Packtastic’ in ˛˙˛˙, Navien will be continuing to offer gas and oil installers extended warranties on its NCB-CE Gas Boilers and LCBˠ˙˙ Blue DķÖĿā zĢķ ŋĢķāũŭ̍ ÖóĴŶÖŭŶĢó ėũŋŽťŭ pÖƑĢāł̪ŭ ĞĢėĞķƘ efficient boiler ranges together with the very latest smart ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ Öłù ĕũāā ĕķŽāŭ ̞ Öŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ āƗŶũÖ ƒÖũũÖłŶĢāŭ ̞ to offer installers savings of up to £˛˚˛̍ Available from over ˝˙˙ stockists across the UK, the NCB-CE Gas Boilers and LCBˠ˙˙ Blue Flame Oil Boilers can be purchased in either a ‘Smart Package’ or an ‘ErP ͖ ťÖóĴÖėā̪̍ The Smart Package includes a Navien Smart Plus controller, a free standard horizontal flue and improved energy efficiency from ˢ˜ͮ to ˢˠͮ ̛1ũ ũÖŶĢłė̜̇

while the ErP A+ Package comprises three Smart Plus controllers, free flue and improved energy efficiency from ˢ˜ͮ to ˢˡͮ̍ 1ÖóĞ ťÖóĴÖėā Öķŭŋ ĢłóķŽùāŭ Ö ˚˙-year warranty, providing an extra three years on the standard warranty supplied with the NCB-!1 ėÖŭ ðŋĢķāũŭ̍ A key component of Packtastic is the company’s ĿÖũŶ ķŽŭ óŋłŶũŋķ̍ DāÖŶŽũāŭ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ŭĿÖũŶ ƒāÖŶĞāũ forecasting and geofencing capabilities ensure optimum end user comfort, while all devices are three-zone ready Öłù ðŋÖŭŶ ŭĿÖũŶťĞŋłā óŋłłāóŶĢƑĢŶƘ̍ Utilising the control alongside Navien’s oil and gas boilers also improves energy efficiencies, raising their ŋƑāũÖķķ 1ũ ũÖŶĢłė Ŷŋ ̨ ͖̪̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˛˚

Electric choices have ŶĞā ƪāƗĢðĢķĢŶƘ With the government’s increasing emphasis on decarbonising heating, Trianco is highlighting its Aztec range of electric boilers, suitable for properties not óŋłłāóŶāù Ŷŋ ŶĞā ėÖŭ ėũĢù̍ ¦Ğā óŋĿťÖłƘ̪ŭ electric heating range includes combi and ŭƘŭŶāĿ Ŀŋùāķŭ̍ Designed to be sited in a small airing cupboard alongside a cylinder, the Aztec Classic heat-ŋłķƘ ðŋĢķāũ ̛ťĢóŶŽũāù̜ features a slim, vertical design and delivers heat outputs of ˛, ˟̇ ˢ̇ ˚˚ or ˚˛ĴÂ̍ The Aztec Mini Combi, available in heating outputs of ˡ, ˚˙ or ˚˛kW, Ģŭ ùāŭĢėłāù ĕŋũ ŭĿÖķķ ťũŋıāóŶŭ̇ ŭŽóĞ as apartments and cabins, and will ƩŶ ĢłŭĢùā Ö ĴĢŶóĞāł óÖðĢłāŶ̍ ¦ĞāƘ Öũā fully controllable via a combined room thermostat/programmer, which can be ĿÖłÖėāù ƑĢÖ Öł Öťť ŋł Ö ĿŋðĢķā ùāƑĢóā̍ There is also a ‘Maxi’ version of the ơŶāó óŋĿðĢ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ Ģŭ Ö ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł ĕŋũ ƒĞāũā space is at a premium, but hot water ŭŶŋũÖėā Ģŭ ũāŨŽĢũāù̍ ÂĢŶĞ Öł ĢłŶāũłÖķ storage capacity, this combi is able to ĿāāŶ ŶĞā łāāùŭ ŋĕ ťũŋıāóŶŭ ƒĢŶĞ Ŀŋũā ĞŋŶ ƒÖŶāũ ùāĿÖłù ̞ ùāķĢƑāũĢłė 'NÂ Žť Ŷŋ ˚˙ ķĢŶũāŭ ťāũ ĿĢłŽŶā ̞ Öłù Ģŭ ÖĢĿāù ÖŶ ķÖũėāũ ĞŋĿāŭ̇ ŋũ ťũŋťāũŶĢāŭ ƒĢŶĞ ðÖŶĞŭ̍ Completing the range, the Aztec System boiler is described as an all-in-ŋłā̇ ƩŶ-and-ĕŋũėāŶ ƑāũŭĢŋł̍ RŶ óŋĿāŭ ƒĢŶĞ Öł 1ũ pump, auto air vent, ˠ-litre expansion vessel and pressure ėÖŽėā̇ Öłù óÖł ðā ƩŶŶāù ÖķŋłėŭĢùā Ö ùĢũāóŶ óƘķĢłùāũ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˛˛

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Domestic Boilers

Combis óŋƑāũāù ðƘ ķŋłė ƒÖũũÖłŶƘ Available from Alpha Heating Innovation is the E-Tec and E-Tec ķŽŭ ũÖłėā̇ ŭÖĢù Ŷŋ ŋƦ āũ Ö óŋŭŶ āƦ āóŶĢƑā óŋĿðĢ option. The company says the outstanding characteristics of the E-Tec are its build quality, ũāķĢÖðĢķĢŶƘ Öłù āÖŭā ŋĕ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł̍ ¦Ğāŭā Ŀŋùāķŭ Ʃ Ŷ ĢłŶŋ Ö standard kitchen cupboard, and with front access to parts, servicing is straightforward. Each model features a stainless steel heat exchanger, with wide waterways, which together with the Grundfos pump and hydroblock assembly, ensures mains water is warmed up quickly for constant delivery of hot water. Other key components include a Honeywell gas valve and PCB, plus a combined condensate and PRV connection. They are covered by a seven-year warranty straight out of the box. The E-Tec Plus is built on the same platform but has the Öùùāù ðāłāƩ Ŷ ŋĕ óŋťťāũ ťĢťā ŶÖĢķŭ ƒĢŶĞ ĢŭŋķÖŶĢŋł ƑÖķƑāŭ̇ ĢłŶāėũÖŶāù Ʃ ķķĢłė ķŋŋť Öłù óŋłŶũŋķ ťÖłāķ̍ ¦ĞāƘ Öũā ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ģł three outputs, the same ˛ˡ and ˜˜kW models as the standard E-Tec with an additional, high output ˜ˡkW model as well. In addition, E-Tec models carry a Class 6 NOx rating and Opentherm compatibility, so they can partner easily with the latest energy saving controls. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˛˜

Vision packed with āƧ óĢāłóƘ ĕāÖŶŽũāŭ

ķŶũÖ ķŋƒ pzƗ ĕũŋĿ ðķŽā ƪ ÖĿāŭ

The Vision Plus range of condensing boilers from Vokèra includes seven models: four combination boilers with outputs of ˛˞ to ˝˙kW, and three system boilers with outputs of ˛˙ to ˜˙kW, all with a standard seven-year warranty. They feature a click-Ʃ Ŷ ƪ Žā ŭƘŭŶāĿ for easy installation, and combination models have a universal pipe connection layout. They are also rated !ķÖŭŭ ̨ ̪ āłāũėƘ āƧ óĢāłóƘ in accordance with the Energy-related Product (ErP) directive and have the OpenTherm protocol. The ˜˞ and ˝˙kW combis and all three system ðŋĢķāũŭ ðāłāƩ Ŷ ĕũŋĿ Ö radial stainless steel heat exchanger, which enables a wide modulation ratio of ˚̆˗ ĕŋũ ėũāÖŶāũ ŋťāũÖŶĢłė āƧ óĢāłóƘ Öłù ƪ āƗĢðĢķĢŶƘ̍ ¦Ğā ˛˞C and ˜˙C combination models use Öł ÖķŽĿĢłĢŽĿ ĞāÖŶ āƗóĞÖłėāũ̇ ŋƦ āũĢłė ĞĢėĞ ŶĞāũĿÖķ conductivity. The entire Vision Plus range is designed to be ‘hybrid ready’ for integration into low carbon heating system designs. For ĕŽũŶĞāũ ƪ āƗĢðĢķĢŶƘ̇ Öķķ ŭƘŭŶāĿ Ŀŋùāķŭ ðŋÖŭŶ Ö ðŽĢķŶ-in relay, which allows for easy integration with zone valves. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˛˝

zƦ āũĢłė ŶĞā ŋťŶĢŋł ŋĕ ĢłŶāũłÖķ̇ āƗŶāũłÖķ̇ ƪ ŋŋũstanding, wall-hung, and combi models, the Vortex range of oil boilers from Grant comes in outputs ranging from ˚˛ to ˠ˙kW. All of these boilers feature low NOx burner technology, with the VortexBlue models incorporating Riello’s RDB BLU ultralow NOx compact blue ƪ ÖĿā ðŽũłāũ̍ óũŋŭŭ the ranges, each boiler has been designed to be installer friendly and straightforward to maintain and service, while also delivering reliable, āƧ óĢāłŶ ĞāÖŶĢłė ĕŋũ homeowners to help them lower their fuel costs and enjoy warmth and comfort throughout their home. G˚ Installers can activate extended guarantees on the Grant boilers they install and register. All Vortex Ŀŋùāķŭ óÖł ðā ũāėĢŭŶāũāù ƒĢŶĞ Ö Ʃ Ƒā-year guarantee and all VortexBlue boilers can be registered with a ˚˙-year guarantee when installed by a member of Grant UK’s G˚ Installer Scheme. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˛˞

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Heat Pumps 29

Installers are key to low carbon targets The training and support of heating installers will be crucial to the government achieving its ambition of a rapid growth in heat pump sales. Writing on behalf of the Heat Pump Association, Max Halliwell highlights what needs to be done to encourage more installers to get on board.

he race to net-zero heating is on. If the UK government is to meet its legally binding net-zero emissions target by ˛˙˞˙, installation supply chains for low carbon heating are going to have to be much stronger than they are today. Progressing the housing stock, which consists of some of the oldest and thermally leakiest homes in Europe, to net-zero óÖũðŋł āĿĢŭŭĢŋłŭ Ģŭ Ö ŭĢėłĢƩ óÖłŶ challenge. Homes currently account for around a third of current UK carbon emissions and the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has stressed the importance of decarbonisation policies to change this. However, despite the scale of the challenge before us, this could represent a huge opportunity if we take a ‘glass half full’ approach.

Max Halliwell Vice-chairman of the HPA

Training course

CUT TO THE CHASE

Established technology The technologies needed to decarbonise the building stock are already well established. Heat pumps have been highlighted by the CCC as an integral low carbon technology in the race to net-zero and they are expected to be the primary heating system in new build homes from ˛˙˛˞. The Prime Minister’s recent Ten Point Plan also set a new target to deploy ˟˙˙̇˙˙˙ heat pumps per year by ˛˙˛ˡ, which would be a huge step

up in sales in comparison to the ˜˞̇˙˙˙ sold in ˛˙˚ˢ. The limiting factor now is the current skills gap. Heating installers are at the very heart of the low carbon transition. Even with all the will in the world to reduce carbon emissions, good intentions will remain as merely that without a strong installer base to deliver the solutions net-zero demands. The Heat Pump Association (HPA), which represents ˢ˞% of the heat pump manufacturing market share, has therefore been collaborating with key actors across the industry to support installers and simplify the process Ŷŋ ðāóŋĿĢłė Ö óāũŶĢƩ āù Öłù ŶũŽŭŶāù heat pump installer.

Đ The government has set a target of 600,000 heat pumps a year being installed by 2028 Đ A proposed two-day Low Temperature training course has received widespread support Đ Further government support is needed to maintain momentum Đ A Low Carbon Skills card could be used to help installers demonstrate their expertise

Our recent report, ‘Building the installer base for net-zero heating’ proposes a revised installer route that would be made feasible through a two-day, technologyneutral Low Temperature training course. The streamlined training programme would cover the essential skills needed for energy āƧ óĢāłŶ ĞāÖŶĢłė Öłù ƒŋŽķù ĿÖĴā certain that installers are able to install systems to perform āƧ óĢāłŶķƘ̇ ũāėÖũùķāŭŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā heating technology installed. This has been developed by key industry players, led by CIPHE, and could act as a prerequisite for all heat source technology, including heat pumps.

Following on from the initial Low Temperature Course, installers should then be able to take up technology-ŭťāóĢƩ ó training that leads to accreditation. This forms part of our ambitions to reduce the bureaucracy attached to the current route to becoming an accredited heat pump installer which can at times be a barrier to new entrants. The suggested route begins with a two-day Heat Pump Foundation course covering all the basics on heat pump installations, before a one-day course focusing ŋł ŶĞā ŭťāóĢƩ ó ŶƘťāŭ ŋĕ ĞāÖŶ pumps: ground, air, and water sourced.

Government support RŶ Ģŭ āŭŭāłŶĢÖķ ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞĢŭ ŭĢĿťķĢƩ āù training pathway is supported by government action that ensures installers adapt to the changing heating industry. This will be a huge help to new installers joining the low carbon market as there will ðā ŋłā ùāƩ łāù̇ óķāÖũ Öłù āÖŭƘ ťÖŶĞ Ŷŋ ðāóŋĿĢłė Ö ķŋƒ óÖũðŋł̇ óāũŶĢƩ āù installer. There are currently ˚˜˙̇˙˙˙ heating installers in the UK who already understand the fundamentals of heating systems and simply need a clear, simple route to upskill for the future. High demand for heat pumps has already been well demonstrated through the Green Homes Grant scheme, which has generated phenomenal interest from homeowners. Focus must

now go to maintaining this momentum and ensuring that businesses and installers have the time and support they need to develop the necessary skills. This is essential not only to the success of the Green Homes Grant following its initial administration delays, but also for future schemes including the Clean Heat Grant, which reopened for further consultation this February.

Skills card To motivate installers and instil óŋłƩ ùāłóā Ģł óŋłŭŽĿāũŭ̇ ŶĞā N has proposed the introduction of a ‘Low Carbon Skills’ card. This could be used to list all of the training installers have undertaken and to demonstrate their capabilities to consumers, providing householders with peace of mind that they are trained and accredited to install low carbon heating solutions. Such óŋłƩ ùāłóā̇ ÖķŋłėŭĢùā āƗťāũŶ advice from installers, would also stimulate more demand for heat pumps over time. R ÖĿ óŋłƩ ùāłŶ ŶĞÖŶ ƒā ĞÖƑā the capacity to create an installer ðÖŭā Ʃ Ŷ ĕŋũ ŶĞā łāŶ-zero future. On paper we have the ideas ready to go. The question now is whether the government will support us and the industry to put them into practice, ensuring that the road to a low emissions housing stock is straightforward and ambitious. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˛˟

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Heat Pumps

We need to set a clear course to stay on the road to Net Zero ŶÖðķā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ ťŋķĢóĢāŭ Öłù óķāÖũ ĿāŭŭÖėĢłė Öũā ƑĢŶÖķ Ģĕ ŶĞā óŋŽłŶũƘ Ģŭ to stay on course in its bid to meet low carbon pledges and Net Zero targets, ŭÖƘŭ ĞĢķ NŽũķāƘ ĕũŋĿ pR 1 1łāũėƘ ƘŭŶāĿŭ̍

top-start policies simply will not lead to the decarbonisation of our homes and buildings. It is as ŭŶũÖĢėĞŶĕŋũƒÖũù Öłù ùāƩ łĢŶĢƑā Öŭ that. This instability will instead send all the wrong messages to ŶĞŋŭā ƒĞŋ ĞÖƑā ŶÖĴāł ŭŶāťŭ Ŷŋ adapt to the low carbon transition Öłù óŋŽķù ķāÖƑā Ö ŭŋŽũ ŶÖŭŶā ĕŋũ years to come.

ĿŽŭŶ ðā ùāƑāķŋťāù̍ NŋƒāƑāũ̇ these ambitions will not be met without clear and stable ũāėŽķÖŶŋũƘ ĕũÖĿāƒŋũĴŭ ŶĞÖŶ ĢłóāłŶĢƑĢŭā ķŋƒ óÖũðŋł ŶāóĞłŋķŋėĢāŭ Öłù ķāÖƑā łŋ ũŋŋĿ for question.

Clear roadmap

Time for action It goes without saying that we cannot allow this to happen if ƒā Öũā ėŋĢłė Ŷŋ ĢĿťũŋƑā ŶĞā energy performance of homes in line with the UK’s legislated net zero target. To meet this world-leading pledge in time, it Ģŭ āŭŭāłŶĢÖķ ŶĞÖŶ ÖóŶĢŋł Ģŭ ŶÖĴāł Ŷŋ reduce emissions from homes, which account for ˚ˠ% of our national footprint today, and remain some of the oldest and ķāÖĴĢāŭŶ Ģł 1Žũŋťā̍ The challenge ahead is not ĢłŭĢėłĢƩ óÖłŶ̇ ðŽŶ ĢŶ óÖł ðā ŋƑāũóŋĿā ŶĞũŋŽėĞ óŋķķāóŶĢƑā responsibility. Industry has a strategic role to play in strengthening supply chains through training, to prepare for the mass rollout of low carbon ŭŋķŽŶĢŋłŭ ķĢĴā ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ̒ and consumer awareness and acceptance of green solutions

Phil Hurley UK managing director of NIBE Energy Systems

The low carbon route is the only one that leads to zero, yet there is still no clear roadmap or policies in place to guide the way

The low carbon route is the only one that leads to zero, and yet ùāŭťĢŶā ėũŋƒĢłė óŋłƑāũŭÖŶĢŋłŭ around the phase-out of fossil fuel boilers in new and existing homes, there is still no clear roadmap or policies in place to guide the way. Only a few days ago óŋłƩ ũĿÖŶĢŋł ƒÖŭ ÖėÖĢł ėĢƑāł in the House of Commons that £˜˛˙ million of funding has been allocated the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme for ˛˚̓˛˛ Ŷŋ ĿÖĴā ĞŋĿāŭ Öłù ðŽĢķùĢłėŭ Ŀŋũā āłāũėƘ āƧ óĢāłŶ Öłù ķāŭŭ óÖũðŋł ĢłŶāłŭĢƑā̍ NŋƒāƑāũ̇ there are rising concerns across industry that the Green Homes Grant scheme will be cut short in disregard of its recent extension. Such a decision would completely ŽłùāũĿĢłā ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ̪ŭ ťũŋĿĢŭā ķÖŭŶ ŭŽĿĿāũ Ŷŋ ùāķĢƑāũ ĞŋĿā ĢĿťũŋƑāĿāłŶŭ Ŷŋ ˟˙˙̇˙˙˙ ĞŋĿāŭ Öóũŋŭŭ 1łėķÖłù Öłù ƒŋŽķù ķāÖƑā ĿŽóĞ ŋĕ ŶĞā ĕŽłùĢłė allocated to the scheme unspent. Cutting the scheme short

prematurely would not only be a lost opportunity to accelerate the low carbon transition this time round but would also damage ťŽðķĢó óŋłƩ ùāłóā̇ ùĢŭóŋŽũÖėā ŶĞā installer base, and tarnish green ũāŶũŋƩ Ŷ ŭóĞāĿāŭ Ģł ŶĞā ĕŽŶŽũā̍ The Green Homes Grant scheme ĕũÖłĴķƘ óÖłłŋŶ ÖƦ ŋũù Ŷŋ ĕÖĢķ̍ Demand for the scheme has ðāāł ŋƑāũƒĞāķĿĢłėķƘ ťŋŭĢŶĢƑā̇ showing a clear appetite from homeowners to install the ĿāÖŭŽũāŭ ŋł ŋƦ āũ̍ ¦Ğā Ģłƪ ŽƗ of applications highlights the pent-Žť ùāĿÖłù Öłù ķÖóĴ ŋĕ ŭŽťťŋũŶ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā ťũĢŋũ Ŷŋ its launch. Around ˠ˙̇˙˙˙ ĞŋŽŭāĞŋķù ÖťťķĢóÖŶĢŋłŭ ĞÖƑā ðāāł ŭŽðĿĢŶŶāù ƒĞĢóĞ ũāťũāŭāłŶ ŋƑāũ ˚˙˙̇˙˙˙ ĢłùĢƑĢùŽÖķ ĿāÖŭŽũāŭ̍ The majority of applicants are ŭāāĴĢłė Ŷŋ ŶÖĴā Ö ĿŽķŶĢ-measure approach, which is great to see. Of course, the scheme has not been without its troubles. Initial ùāķÖƘŭ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ĢŭŭŽĢłė ŋĕ ƑŋŽóĞāũŭ and poor administration ĞÖƑā ÖķũāÖùƘ ķāĕŶ Ö łŋŶÖðķā bad impression on all parties. This delay has caused distress Ŷŋ ĞŋŽŭāĞŋķùŭ Öłù Ʃ łÖłóĢÖķ implications for businesses who ĞÖƑā ĢłƑāŭŶāù Ģł ŭŶũāłėŶĞāłĢłė ŶĞāĢũ ƒŋũĴĕŋũóā Ŷŋ ùāķĢƑāũ ƒŋũĴ ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞāƘ ĞÖƑā łŋŶ ƘāŶ ðāāł Öðķā Ŷŋ carry out.

Contradictory message To cancel the scheme at this ùĢƧ óŽķŶ ŭŶÖėā ƒŋŽķù ķāÖƑā ĿÖłƘ Ŷŋ ŨŽāŭŶĢŋł ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ̪ŭ óŋĿĿĢŶĿāłŶŭ Ŷŋ ĕŽķƩ ķķĢłė ĢŶŭ promises on the road to net zero and would contradict the encouraging messages sent to installers and homeowners when ŶĞā ŭóĞāĿā ƒÖŭ Ʃ ũŭŶ ÖłłŋŽłóāù ķÖŭŶ `ŽķƘ̍ 1Ʀ ŋũŶ ĿŽŭŶ ĢłŭŶāÖù ėŋ Ŷŋ ŶÖóĴķĢłė ŶĞā ŶāāŶĞĢłė ťũŋðķāĿŭ̇ caused largely by the rapid ĢłŶũŋùŽóŶĢŋł ŋĕ ŶĞā ĢłóāłŶĢƑā̇ Öłù turning it into a success story that óÖł ðā ķŋŋĴāù ðÖóĴ ŋł ĕŋũ ƘāÖũŭ Ŷŋ come.

The successful execution of the Green Homes Grant is essential to the success of upcoming ťũŋėũÖĿŭ ķĢĴā ŶĞā !ķāÖł NāÖŶ Grant scheme. The design of ŶĞĢŭ ťÖũŶĢóŽķÖũ ĢłóāłŶĢƑā̇ ƒĞĢóĞ opened again for consultation this February, proposes to ťũŋƑĢùā ŽťĕũŋłŶ óÖťĢŶÖķ ėũÖłŶŭ of £˝˙˙˙ Ŷŋ ũāĿŋƑā ŶĞā ŽťĕũŋłŶ cost barrier of heat pumps. This ĢłóāłŶĢƑā Ģŭ āƗťāóŶāù Ŷŋ ĕŋķķŋƒ on from the Renewable Heat RłóāłŶĢƑā Ģł mÖũóĞ ˛˙˛˛, as part of plans to phase out fossil fuel heating. ŽóĞ ťķÖłŭ̇ ĞŋƒāƑāũ̇ Öũā ÖŶ ũĢŭĴ ùŽā Ŷŋ ŽłŭŶÖðķā ĿāŭŭÖėĢłė ĕũŋĿ FŋƑāũłĿāłŶ̍ !ŽŶŶĢłė ŶĞā Green Homes Grant scheme short could discourage the ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ ĕũŋĿ ùāķĢƑāũĢłė ƒŋũĴ Žłùāũ ŶĞā !ķāÖł NāÖŶ Grant scheme and could deter households from applying for ŶĞā ƑŋŽóĞāũŭ ŋŽŶ ŋĕ ĕāÖũ ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞā ƒŋũĴ ƒŋŽķù łŋŶ ðā ùāķĢƑāũāù̍

Avoidable risk 1Ƒāł Ģĕ óŋłŭŽĿāũŭ ƒāũā Ŷŋ demonstrate high interest in the ŭóĞāĿā̇ Öŭ ŶĞāƘ ĞÖƑā ùŋłā ƒĢŶĞ the Green Homes Grant, there Ģŭ Ö ƑāũƘ ũāÖķ ťŋŭŭĢðĢķĢŶƘ ŶĞÖŶ the industry would be unable or ŽłƒĢķķĢłė Ŷŋ ĢłƑāŭŶ Ŷŋ ùāķĢƑāũ ŶĞā demand. ¦ĞĢŭ Ģŭ Ö ũĢŭĴ ŶĞÖŶ ĿŽŭŶ ðā ÖƑŋĢùāù ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ŶĞā Fũāāł Homes Grant scheme. Installer numbers today are nowhere near where they need to be Ŷŋ ùāķĢƑāũ ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ̪ŭ deployment target of ˟˙˙̇˙˙˙ heat pumps per year by ˛˙˛ˡ, but ŶĞāũā Öũā ŋƑāũ ˚˜˙̇˙˙˙ heating installers in the UK today who Öũā óÖťÖðķā ŋĕ ŽťŭĴĢķķĢłė̍ ŶÖðķā policy – and clear messaging – is required to ensure that these ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ Öũā ƒĢķķĢłė Ŷŋ ŽťŭĴĢķķ Öŭ required. First and foremost, the ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ ĿŽŭŶ ėĢƑā ŶĞāĿ Ö reason to change ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˜˛˚̓˛ˠ

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Heat Pumps

Breaking ground on a new idea

t A common ground array would associated properties to install heat pumps in their homes

into the loop. That allows energy to be recycled, rather than wasted out to the atmosphere. The shared ground loop array solution is the most cost effective way to install ground source heat pumps at scale, since ground array installation costs are reduced significantly the more properties that are added to the network. It is also an investment that can last for decades, as the boreholes have a lifetime of up to 100 years.

The government’s 10-point plan to tackle climate change says that heat pumps have an important role to play in reducing carbon emissions. James Standley of Kensa Heat Pumps suggests that an integrated underground infrastructure could help move the nation closer to this goal.

Systems in action

round source heat pumps can achieve higher efficiencies than any other heating system by utilising the freely available and naturally replenished heat energy from ground and water sources, and it is right that they will play a key part in the UK’s journey to zero-carbon. However, as fewer than 1% of homes in England currently use a heat pump, it’s clear that production and installation will need to be massively scaled up to achieve the 202 target. The stumbling block for the widespread adoption of ground source heat pumpes has always been the ground array. Whether a system uses boreholes, slinkies, or a water source, the ground array has often been regarded as the costly and difficult element of such a system. Kensa is urging government and other stakeholders to instead view them as the key that unlocks the opportunity for integrated low carbon energy systems, with ground source heat pumps mitigating demand on the grid and delivering efficient, low-cost heating.

New kind of infrastructure The cost of the heat pump unit could be separated from that of the ground array, with external funders, such as energy or water companies, owning and operating a nationwide heat pump infrastructure that mimics the existing gas network. In a retrofit scenario, a householder or landlord could pay a small annual connection fee for a ground source heat pump to replace a gas boiler. This is even simpler in a new build scenario where a single decision maker can ensure every household is connected from the outset, and also means less cost for the housebuilder. We recognise that many householders will need subsidy support to make the switch to

32.indd 1

James Standley

MD of Kensa Heat Pumps

CUT TO THE CHASE  Kensa proposes a ‘heat pump infrastructure’ that would mimic the gas network  A pre-existing infrastructure would allow installers to ﬁt ground source heat pumps without any involvement with the ground array  Kensa describes its shared ground loop system architecture as a 21st century version of the gas network  Shared ground loop arrays can also provide free passive cooling  The cost of installing a shared ground loop array can be reduced by increasing the number of households that beneﬁt from it

ground source heat pumps, but this coupled with the long term benefits of low running costs, increased efficiency, reliability and durability of the units, plus the freedom to independently control their heating and switch energy supplier to take advantage of exible tariffs, should provide suitable incentive. If this infrastructure is already provided, then plumbing and heating engineers could install ground source heat pumps on a neighbourhood scale, without involvement with a ground array, just as they have no involvement in the supply of the gas network. As heat pumps become the default choice, the workforce will need to be scaled up. There is opportunity here – certainly a communitywide network of skilled installers will be needed on the frontlines to deliver 600,000 heat pump installations per year.

Shared source At Kensa we have developed an innovative shared ground loop system architecture that we believe is the 21st century

equivalent to the gas network. The solution is unobtrusive, scalable and perfectly suited to provide large developments with ground source heating. Ambient temperature pipework links clusters of boreholes to a network of heat pumps in individual properties. The shared ground loop system acts as a thermal energy supply grid, circulating low-grade heat from the ground, water or waste heat processes, around a network of pipes. The heat pumps then upgrade this heat at the point of use to deliver heating and hot water whenever it is needed. Distributing the heat harvested from the ground at ambient temperatures (-5°C to 20°C) delivers exceptional efficiencies, minimising heat losses and avoiding the common overheating problems associated with central plantrooms. Shared ground loop arrays can also provide free passive cooling, removing the need for expensive air conditioning units. All of the waste heat produced by cooling goes back into the ambient temperature loop, and all of the cold that’s produced as a by-product of heating also goes

Using shared ground loop arrays, Kensa has delivered some of the biggest ground source heat pump installations in the country, and we are currently working on integrated community low carbon energy projects like Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO). The £ 1m ESO project got underway in 201 in response to the declaration of a Climate Emergency by Oxford City Council in January that year. It aims to reduce emissions and improve public health by accelerating a switch to electric vehicles and decarbonisation of heating. Kensa Contracting and Stonewater ousing oined forces on the first stage of the project in 2020, which saw 60 homes at the Blackbird Leys site have their night storage heating system replaced with Kensa’s ground source heat pumps. Each tenant has complete control over their heating system and is encouraged to switch to exible electricity tariffs, which allow householders to take advantage of cheaper power at the times of day when demand is low, without having to change their behaviours. With temperatures below ground remaining stable day and night all year long, ground source heat pumps are perfectly placed to operate on these exible tariffs. Each ground source heat pump is connected to a smart thermostat which feeds data back to our cloud-based heat optimisation platform. The software takes a day-ahead forecast of half hourly electricity costs and creates an optimal heating schedule for each property, automatically shifting the heat pump to off-peak operating times where possible. The smart heating system at lackbird eys is the first of its kind in the UK, and is expected to save residents 3520 tonnes of CO2 over their lifetime and up to 25% off their heating bills, all without adding strain to the UK’s electricity grid. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/2

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PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Heat Pumps

Reliance on boiler knowhow may not be best for business ÂĞƘ ŭĞŋŽķù ėÖŭ Öłù ŋĢķ ðŋĢķāũ āłėĢłāāũŭ óŋłŭĢùāũ ÖùùĢłė ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋłŭ Ŷŋ ŶĞāĢũ ŭĴĢķķ ŭāŶ̎ 'ÖƑĢù NŋķĿāŭ ĕũŋĿ ŋĢķāũ FŽĢùā ÖũėŽāŭ ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞāƘ ƒĢķķ łāāù Ŷŋ ũāŭťŋłù Ŷŋ ĿÖũĴāŶ ùāĿÖłù̍

hether being Ʃ ũāù ðƘ łÖŶŽũÖķ ėÖŭ̇ ĞƘùũŋėāł̇ ŋũ Ö ðķāłù ŋĕ ŶĞā Ŷƒŋ̇ ĢŶ Ģŭ ķĢĴāķƘ ŶĞÖŶ ðŋĢķāũ ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ ƒĢķķ ťķÖƘ Ö ťÖũŶ Ģł ĞŋĿā ĞāÖŶĢłė ĕŋũ ĿÖłƘ ƘāÖũŭ Ŷŋ óŋĿā̍ ŋĢķāũ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ ĿĢėĞŶ ŭāā ŶĞĢŭ Öŭ Ö ũāÖŭŋł Ŷŋ ŭŶĢóĴ ƒĢŶĞ ƒĞÖŶ ŶĞāƘ Ĵłŋƒ Öłù óŋłŶĢłŽā Ŷŋ óŋłóāłŶũÖŶā ŭŋķāķƘ ŋł ðŋĢķāũŭ̇ ðŽŶ ŶĞĢŭ ĿÖƘ łŋŶ ðā ŶĞā ðāŭŶ ùāóĢŭĢŋł ĕŋũ ŶĞāĢũ ðŽŭĢłāŭŭ̵̍ 'āŭťĢŶā ŶĞā ĞāÖùķĢłāŭ ŶĞÖŶ ĢĿťķƘ Ö ðķÖłĴāŶ ðÖł ŋł ėÖŭ Öłù ŋĢķ ðŋĢķāũŭ̇ ÖŶ łŋ ťŋĢłŶ ƒĢķķ ÖłƘ ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũ ðā ĕŋũóāù Ŷŋ ėāŶ ũĢù ŋĕ Ö ŭÖĕā Öłù āƦ āóŶĢƑā ðŋĢķāũ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ ĿāÖłŭ ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞā ƒŋũŭŶ óÖŭā ŭóāłÖũĢŋ ĕŋũ ðŋĢķāũŭ Ģł ŶĞā b Ģŭ ŶĞÖŶ ðŋĢķāũ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł ƒĢķķ ŭŶĢķķ ðā Ģł ùāĿÖłù ĕŋũ ŶĞā łāƗŶ ˚˞ ƘāÖũŭ̇ Öłù ŭāũƑĢóĢłė Öłù ũāťÖĢũŭ ƒĢķķ ðā łāāùāù ĕŋũ ÖłŋŶĞāũ ˚˙-˚˞ ƘāÖũŭ ÖĕŶāũ ŶĞÖŶ̵̍ ̵NŋƒāƑāũ̇ ŶĞāũā Ģŭ ũāÖŭŋł Ŷŋ ðāķĢāƑā ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞāũā Ģŭ Öł āƑāł ðũĢėĞŶāũ ĕŽŶŽũā ĕŋũ ðŋĢķāũŭ ŋł ŶĞā ĞŋũĢơŋł̍ RŶ Ģŭ ķŋŋĴĢłė ĢłóũāÖŭĢłėķƘ ķĢĴāķƘ ŶĞÖŶ ũÖŶĞāũ ŶĞÖł ėāŶŶĢłė ũĢù ŋĕ ŶĞā āƗĢŭŶĢłė ĢłĕũÖŭŶũŽóŶŽũā ŋĕ ŶĞā łÖŶĢŋłƒĢùā ėÖŭ łāŶƒŋũĴ Öłù ĿĢķķĢŋłŭ ŋĕ ėÖŭ ðŋĢķāũŭ̇ ƒā ƒĢķķ ŭƒĢŶóĞ ŶĞā ĕŽāķ ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞāƘ Žŭā Ŷŋ ĞƘùũŋėāł̍ mŋùāũł ėÖŭ ðŋĢķāũŭ óÖł ÖķũāÖùƘ ŋťāũÖŶā ƒĢŶĞ Žť Ŷŋ ˛˙ͮ ĞƘùũŋėāł̇ Öłù ŭāƑāũÖķ ðŋĢķāũ ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāũŭ Öũā óÖķķĢłė ĕŋũ Ö ėũÖùŽÖķ ũŋķķŋŽŶ ŋĕ ĞƘùũŋėāł-ũāÖùƘ ðŋĢķāũŭ̍ ¦Ğāŭā ðŋĢķāũŭ ƒŋŽķù ƒŋũĴ ƒĢŶĞ łÖŶŽũÖķ ėÖŭ ĢłĢŶĢÖķķƘ̇ ðŽŶ óŋŽķù ðā āÖŭĢķƘ ÖùÖťŶāù Ŷŋ ƒŋũĴ ƒĢŶĞ ĞƘùũŋėāł Ģĕ̓ƒĞāł ŶĞā łāŶƒŋũĴ ŭƒĢŶóĞāŭ ŋƑāũ̵̍

Rĕ Öķķ ŶĞāŭā ťķÖłŭ Öłù ŶĞāŋũĢāŭ óŋĿā Ŷŋ ĕũŽĢŶĢŋł̇ ŶĞā ĕŽŶŽũā Ģŭ ðũĢėĞŶ ĕŋũ ðŋĢķāũ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ̍ ÂĞƘ̇ ŶĞāł̇ ŭĞŋŽķù Ö ðŋĢķāũ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũ ŶũÖĢł Öŭ Ö ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť ĢłŭŶÖķķāũ̎

Planning ahead

David Holmes Founder of Boiler Guide

NŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ ƒĢķķ ŭŶÖũŶ Ŷŋ āƗťāóŶ heating ťũŋĕāŭŭĢŋłÖķŭ Ŷŋ ðā ĴłŋƒķāùėāÖðķā ÖðŋŽŶ Ŀŋũā ŶĞÖł ŋłā ŶƘťā ŋĕ heating system

¦Ğā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ̪ŭ ̨ėũāāł ĢłùŽŭŶũĢÖķ ũāƑŋķŽŶĢŋł̪ ĢłóķŽùāŭ ŶĞā ÖĿðĢŶĢŋŽŭ ŶÖũėāŶ ŋĕ ĢłŭŶÖķķĢłė ˟˙˙̇˙˙˙ ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ āƑāũƘ ƘāÖũ ðƘ ˛˙˛ˡ Öłù̇ ĕũŋĿ ˛˙˛˞̇ ðŋĢķāũŭ ƒĢķķ łŋ ķŋłėāũ ðā ĢłŭŶÖķķāù Ģł łāƒ ðŽĢķù ĞŋĿāŭ Öłù ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ ƒĢķķ ðā Ģł ĞĢėĞ ùāĿÖłù Ģł ŶĞā ĞŋŽŭā ðŽĢķùĢłė ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ̵̍ ̵NŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ Ģł āƗĢŭŶĢłė ťũŋťāũŶĢāŭ Ĵłŋƒ ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞā ƒÖƘ ŶĞāƘ ĞāÖŶ ŶĞāĢũ ĞŋĿā łāāùŭ Ŷŋ óĞÖłėā ÖŶ ŭŋĿā ťŋĢłŶ̇ Öłù Ģĕ ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ óŋłŶĢłŽāŭ Ŷŋ ĢłóāłŶĢƑĢŭā ŶĞā ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł ŋĕ ũāłāƒÖðķā ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭŋķŽŶĢŋłŭ ̛ƑĢÖ ŶĞā āłāƒÖðķā NāÖŶ RłóāłŶĢƑā̇ !ķāÖł NāÖŶ FũÖłŶŭ̇ Öłù Fũāāł NŋĿāŭ FũÖłŶŭ̜̇ Ŀŋũā ťāŋťķā ƒĢķķ óŋłŭĢùāũ ũāłāƒÖðķā ÖķŶāũłÖŶĢƑāŭ̍ Ƙ ðāĢłė Öðķā Ŷŋ ĢłŭŶÖķķ ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ ŋł ŶĞāĢũ ŋƒł ŋũ ÖķŋłėŭĢùā Ö ðŋĢķāũ̇ ƘŋŽ ƒĢķķ ðā ðũŋÖùāłĢłė ƘŋŽũ óŽŭŶŋĿāũ ðÖŭā ŭĢėłĢƩ óÖłŶķƘ̍ ̵RŶ Ģŭ ƒĢùāķƘ ÖóóāťŶāù ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞāũā Ģŭ łŋ ŋłā-ŭĢơā-Ʃ Ŷŭ-Öķķ ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł Ŷŋ ùāóÖũðŋłĢŭĢłė ĞŋĿā ĞāÖŶĢłė Ģł ŶĞā b ùŽā Ŷŋ ŶĞā ƑÖũĢāù ķāƑāķŭ ŋĕ ĢłŭŽķÖŶĢŋł̇ ùĢƦ āũĢłė ķŋóÖŶĢŋłŭ̇ Öłù ŶĞā ƒĢùā ũÖłėā ŋĕ ťũŋťāũŶƘ ŭŶũŽóŶŽũāŭ̍ ŋĿā ĞŋĿāŭ ƒĢķķ ðā ðāŭŶ ŭŽĢŶāù Ŷŋ ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ ŋũ ðĢŋĿÖŭŭ ðŋĢķāũŭ̇ ƒĞĢķā ŋŶĞāũŭ ĿĢėĞŶ ũāŨŽĢũā Ö óŋĿðĢłÖŶĢŋł ŋĕ Ö ðŋĢķāũ Öłù ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť ŋũ Ö ðŋĢķāũ Öłù ŭŋķÖũ ŶĞāũĿÖķ ťÖłāķŭ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ

ĿāÖłŭ ŶĞÖŶ ĿŋŭŶ ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ ƒĢķķ łŋŶ Ĵłŋƒ ƒĞĢóĞ Ģŭ ŶĞā ðāŭŶ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł ĕŋũ ŶĞāĿ Öłù ƒĢķķ ðā ķŋŋĴĢłė Ŷŋ ĞāÖŶĢłė ťũŋĕāŭŭĢŋłÖķŭ ƒĞŋ ƒĢķķ ťũŋƑĢùā ðÖķÖłóāù ÖùƑĢóā ũÖŶĞāũ ŶĞÖł ðŋĢķāũ āłėĢłāāũŭ ƒĞŋ ƒĢķķ ŋłķƘ ũāóŋĿĿāłù ŋłā ŋťŶĢŋł̵̍

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• 1ķāóŶũĢó ĿāŶāũŭ ĿŽŭŶ ðā ĢłŭŶÖķķāù ĕŋũ āƑāũƘ ťĞÖŭā Žŭāù Ģł óŋłıŽłóŶĢŋł ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť̍ • ķÖłłĢłė ťāũĿĢŭŭĢŋł ũāŨŽĢũāŭ ĿĢłĢĿŽĿ ùĢŭŶÖłóāŭ ðāŶƒāāł ŶĞā ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť̪ŭ ŋŽŶùŋŋũ ŽłĢŶ Öłù ŶĞā ťũŋťāũŶƘ̪ŭ ðŋũùāũŭ̇ Öłù łŋĢŭā ķāƑāķŭ ĿŽŭŶ ðā Öŭŭāŭŭāù Ŷŋ āłŭŽũā ŶĞā ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť ùŋāŭł̪Ŷ ùĢŭŶŽũð āĢŶĞāũ ŶĞā ĞŋŽŭāĞŋķùāũ ŋũ łāĢėĞðŋŽũŭ ƒĞāł ŋťāũÖŶĢłė̍ ¦ũÖĢłĢłė ũŋŽŶāŭ ¦Ğāũā Öũā ťķāłŶƘ ŋĕ ŶũÖĢłĢłė ũŋŽŶāŭ ĕŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė āłėĢłāāũŭ ƒÖłŶĢłė Ŷŋ ŽťŭĴĢķķ Öłù ĢłŭŶÖķķ ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ̍ ŋĿā ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāũŭ ķĢĴā bāłŭÖ̇ pR 1̇ Öłù ÁÖĢķķÖłŶ ŋƦ āũ ŶũÖĢłĢłė óŋŽũŭāŭ̇ Öŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ ŋũėÖłĢŭÖŶĢŋłŭ ŭŽóĞ Öŭ pR!1R!̇ p R¦̇ Öłù dŋėĢó˝¦ũÖĢłĢłė̵̍ ̵złóā ŶũÖĢłĢłė Ģŭ óŋĿťķāŶāù̇ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ ŭĞŋŽķù ėāŶ ÖóóũāùĢŶāù ðƘ ŶĞā m! Ŷŋ ťũŋƑā ŶĞāĢũ óŋĿťāŶāłóā Öłù ŶĞāĢũ óŋĿĿĢŶĿāłŶ Ŷŋ ŨŽÖķĢŶƘ ƒŋũĴĿÖłŭĞĢť̇ óŽŭŶŋĿāũ óÖũā Öłù óŋłŶĢłŽÖķ ĢĿťũŋƑāĿāłŶ̍ Rł ÖùùĢŶĢŋł̇ Ģĕ ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ ƒÖłŶ Ŷŋ ŶÖĴā ÖùƑÖłŶÖėā ŋĕ ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ ĢłóāłŶĢƑā ŭóĞāĿāŭ̇ ŶĞāƘ łāāù Ŷŋ ĞĢũā Ö ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť ĢłŭŶÖķķāũ ƒĞŋ Ģŭ ÖóóũāùĢŶāù ðƘ m! ̵̍ Dŋũ ƘāÖũŭ ŋĢķāũ FŽĢùā ĞÖŭ ŭťāóĢÖķĢŭāù Ģł ėāłāũÖŶĢłė ŭÖķāŭ ķāÖùŭ ĕŋũ ðŋĢķāũ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ̇ Öłù ƒĞĢķā ŋŽũ ðŋĢķāũ ķāÖùŭ Öũā ÖŶ Öł Öķķ ŶĢĿā ĞĢėĞ̇ ƒā Öũā ŭāāĢłė Öł ĢłóũāÖŭāù ùāĿÖłù ĕũŋĿ b ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ ĕŋũ ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿť ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł ŨŽŋŶāŭ̍ zƑāũ ŶĞā óŋĿĢłė ƘāÖũŭ ĢŶ ƒĢķķ łŋ ķŋłėāũ ðā āłŋŽėĞ Ŷŋ ĕŋóŽŭ āłŶĢũāķƘ ŋł ėÖŭ ŋũ ŋĢķ ðŋĢķāũŭ̍ NŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ ƒĢķķ ŭŶÖũŶ Ŷŋ āƗťāóŶ ĞāÖŶĢłė ťũŋĕāŭŭĢŋłÖķŭ Ŷŋ ðā ĴłŋƒķāùėāÖðķā ÖðŋŽŶ Ŀŋũā ŶĞÖł ŋłā ŶƘťā ŋĕ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿ̍ RùāÖķķƘ̇ ĞāÖŶĢłė ťũŋĕāŭŭĢŋłÖķŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā ĕŽŶŽũā ƒĢķķ ðā Öðķā Ŷŋ Öŭŭāŭŭ Ö ťũŋťāũŶƘ̪ŭ ĞāÖŶĢłė ũāŨŽĢũāĿāłŶŭ Öłù ũāóŋĿĿāłù ŶĞā ðāŭŶ ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł̇ ƒĞāŶĞāũ ŶĞÖŶ Ģŭ Ö ðŋĢķāũ̇ Ö ũāłāƒÖðķā ŭƘŭŶāĿ̇ ŋũ Ö ĞƘðũĢù ŋĕ ŶĞā Ŷƒŋ̵̍ ͻ ťĞÖĿłāƒŭ̍óŋ̍ŽĴ̓˜˛˚̓˛ˢ

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PHAM MAR21:Layout 1 01/03/2021 17:14 Page 36

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Heat Pumps Compact and quiet running solution

One unit to heat and cool the room Standard Plus air conditioning units/heat pumps from LG are capable of providing warmth in the cooler months and air conditioning in the summer. There are four units available in this air-to-air range: ˛̍˞̇ ˜̍˞̇ ˞ and ˠkW. Units in the range use R˜˛ refrigerant and feature a DC inverter compressor to reduce noise and deliver ĞĢėĞ āƧóĢāłóƘ̍ '! óŋĿťũāŭŭŋũŭ Öũā Ŀŋũā āƧóĢāłŶ at low loads compared with constant speed AC compressors. The indoor unit has a quiet operational noise level of ˚ˢdB in sleep mode, while the outdoor units have reduced vibration and noise thanks to a quiet fan and motor as well as an anti-noise mechanism. The latest models have Wi-Fi capability built into the indoor units and LG's downloable app enables easy control and quick adjustment of settings. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˜˙

Described as Grant UK’s greenest Öłù ĿŋŭŶ āƧóĢāłŶ ėāłāũÖŶĢŋł of heat pump technology, the Aerona³ R˜˛ inverter driven air source heat pump range is said to be a great choice for installers looking to provide their customers with a sustainable, low carbon heating system. Four single phase air-to-water models are available in the range, with outputs of ˟, ˚˙, ˚˜ and ˚ˠkW. All heat pumps are MCS óāũŶĢƩāù̇ ŭŋ ŶĞāƘ Öũā āķĢėĢðķā ĕŋũ the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme. As well as being compact in size, they also have an A+++ energy rating and high SCOP values. The monobloc units are designed to have minimal impact on their surroundings with both the ˚˜kW and

˚ˠkW models being awarded the Quiet Mark for their low noise levels. R˜˛ refrigerant is also Žŭāù̇ ƒĞĢóĞ ĞÖŭ Ö ŭĢėłĢƩóÖłŶķƘ lower Global Warming Potential when compared with traditional refrigerants. The Aerona³ is complemented by Grant UK’s range of highperformance cylinders and ĞāÖŶ āĿĢŶŶāũŭ̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ƪāƗ Žłùāũƪŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė Öłù ƩłĢÖ aluminium radiators. The company also provides installer support through its G˚ and G-Cert installer schemes, system design assistance, and online training to those looking to break into the renewables market. G˚ RłŭŶÖķķāũŭ óÖł ŋƦāũ Ö ˠ-year guarantee on the Aerona³ by completing eligible Grant heat pump training. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˜˚

ƦŋũùÖðķā óĞŋĢóā The Vitocal ˚˙˙-A air source heat pump is the most óŋĿťÖóŶ Öłù ÖƦŋũùÖðķā Ŀŋùāķ Ģł ÁĢāŭŭĿÖłł̪ŭ ũÖłėā and has been designed to act as a replacement of gas and oil boilers in UK homes. The the monobloc unit’s dimensions are suitable for homes where space is at Ö ťũāĿĢŽĿ̇ Öłù ĢŶŭ ͖͖͖ ũÖŶāù āłāũėƘ āƧóĢāłóƘ ƒĢķķ ðāłāƩŶ Žŭāũŭ ƒĢŶĞ ķŋƒ ũŽłłĢłė óŋŭŶŭ̍ The Vitocal ˚˙˙-A is a fully integrated outdoor unit that does not require a complementary indoor unit. The monobloc design means installers are not required to work on, or connect, any refrigerant-carrying parts ŭŋ Ö ũāĕũĢėāũÖłŶ óāũŶĢƩóÖŶā Ģŭ łŋŶ ũāŨŽĢũāù̍ ¦Ğā ˜˛ refrigerant further delivers on eco-friendly credentials. This heat pump can be installed to work in conjunction with an indoor combi cylinder, which combines a ˛˞˙litre DHW cylinder with a ˞˙-ķĢŶũā ĞāÖŶĢłė ƒÖŶāũ ðŽƦāũ cylinder, or with an outdoor plinth-style horizontal ðŽƦāũ ŭŶŋũā ĕŋũ ÖùùĢŶĢŋłÖķ ŭťÖóā-saving inside the home. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˜˛

PHAM MAR21 FIREBIRD:Layout 1 23/02/2021 16:10 Page 1

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Inclusive Bathrooms

Style meets substance The idea of an inclusive bathroom can mean many things to different people, depending on their special needs. Derek Aaronson from the Hart Home Group looks at how functionality and aesthetics come together to create a specialty bathroom that appeals to all kinds of users.

nclusive bathrooms used to be associated with being cold and almost clinical with no character and not nearly welcoming. They were made with only function in mind, which left the design element firmly on the shelf. However, thanks to advances in technology and designers working to ensure inclusive bathrooms could be more than just grab rails and adapted sanitaryware, style can now sit safely with substance.

Seeing red Inclusive bathrooms need different things for different people. For those with dementia it is as much about creating a safe and welcoming environment as it is having products which work. The use of red can help those suffering with dementia to see and visualise the items around them. Having warm-feel grab rails also means that there is no cold shock, which instantly offers comfort. Taps can be tricky, so it’s important to choose those which not only make it easy to see which is cold and which is hot, but also to control temperature. With advances in technology, you can now have a tap which shuts off the water at a safe 5 C, meaning the risk of scalding is minimised.

Derek Aaronson

CEO of Hart Home Group, the umbrella company for the retail websites NotJustTaps, Lime Kitchen and Bathroom, and Hart Plumbing Spares

The little changes and nod to a designer look will insure that inclusive bathrooms really are just that – inclusive – while giving the user a pleasant experience

A designer look can be integrated into an inclusive bathroom with the right touches

Mobility issues Walk-in showers are often the safer option for an inclusive bathroom but the best investment is a shower seat. Thankfully, designs have moved on and these can now make a stylish addition to an accessible bathroom in both a commercial setting and in a domestic property. For those with fewer mobility issues, walk-in baths are also available and, if space allows, the option to have both gives the user the feeling of a complete bathroom. The option to choose between a bath or a shower for many is an everyday choice, but for those with additional needs, the choice is often made for them due to there only being one option available.

This, for us, is the key point here. Accessible bathrooms should not be limited to the belief that, this is what there is, so this is what I have to have. Technology and inventive products have now evolved, meaning the bathroom environment can feel warm, designed, and stylish. Chrome can now be used with a warm feel, and even toilet seats can come in different colours. Taps can offer long arm levers or even one that can be turned on with a knee. The little changes and nods to a designer look will ensure that inclusive bathrooms really are just that – inclusive. Despite them being adapted, they still give the user a pleasant experience.

Commercially minded When planning a commercial bathroom, we would like to see more installers moving to this mindset, rather than sticking with the way things have always been. For many people with additional needs, the sense of touch is heightened. Touching a cold plastic grab rail or going into an all-white glaring space can instantly feel uncomfortable. All-white rooms can be almost unbearably bright with harsh lighting that none of the features within the room can even attempt to absorb. The simple addition of chrome to re ect and absorb some of the light, mixed with colour and a ooring which is practical to clean, safe to walk on, yet not white, will help to make the room softer. Sharp edges are of course to be avoided and this can easily t Room to move – basin heights can be tailored to the needs of wheelchair users

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be achieved through curved sanitaryware and curved taps. One thing which should also be considered is height. How old is the person using the bathroom and are they likely to get taller? If so, it is worthwhile considering the height of the basin. Their wheelchair may fit comfortably under the basin now, but will it work later? And can it easily be moved higher if needed? Splashbacks which can easily be adapted could be something to consider, making it easier to move the basin up when needed. The needs of an adapted bathroom in a commercial setting, compared to domestic, change greatly. In a domestic setting you can often have more of a say over what is included, even if the council or care team are involved. For those entering a commercial setting, they have less of a say and are often faced with what is there. Therefore, it’s so important to have a discussion about the different options available, so that if a warm touch rail would make a difference to the person using it, they can be suggested.

Break from the past Just because there’s a way things have always been done, it certainly doesn’t mean that they should stay that way. We at NotJustTaps are trying to make it easier for developers to see and understand what is available on the market, and our dedicated customer service team, whom you can speak to on the phone, strive to share our industry knowledge and offer alternatives to what s always been used as much as possible.

◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/33

26/02/2021 16:38

PHAM MAR21 N and C:Layout 1 02/03/2021 15:53 Page 1

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Inclusive Bathrooms

Designing a bathroom for all members of the family Advances in product design, such as anti-slip shower trays, can help to deliver a safer bathroom environment for multi-generational households, says ick raville from udos.

ccording to the ffice for ational tatistics, multifamily homes have been the fastest growing household type over the last two decades. n eptember last year Aviva research reported that 3 % of adults are now living in a multigenerational household. The mix of these homes appears to be mainly adult children either not leaving home or moving back into their family home with partners while they save money for their own house. thers, however, have been created as a result of grandparents moving back to a at within the property.

The Kudos Original6 sliding shower enclosure with a low4 mm high Kstone tray

t The Kudos Connect2 SR shower tray comes with slip resistant properties embedded in the material

Nick Graville

Kudos sales & marketing director

Multi-functional

hatever the circumstances, it is unquestionably a trend that is growing and one that needs to be considered when designing a new bathroom for these homes. The bathroom needs to not only look great but be functional and safe for young and old, and that needs a little more consideration. Thankfully, long gone are the days where a cautious, safe design would result in the fitting of a oc pack. roduct designers have over the last decade been creating products that are designed for all ages, which has resulted in a great choice of solutions.

Practical solutions

omfort height pans that are that little bit taller and easier to stand up from, are now readily available in some very modern designs. ath replacement shower enclosures, which are designed to the same footprint as a standard bath, are a very popular alternative where ageing adults feel that a bath is becoming a little difficult to get t The Kudos Connect2 SR shower tray has a superand clever dual waste system designed to

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out of and perhaps a specialist side entry bath option is not what they require. And there is now a choice of steadying, weight-bearing accessories, cleverly disguised as towel rails, for added security and assistance. ow level shower trays have made access really easy for any enclosure, removing what in the early days could be a large step up to enter an enclosure. Today there is little or no step required when fitting a shower tray, all possible with the development of clever shallow waste technology.

Avoiding accidents

The bathroom is a place where accidents happen, largely from scalding or slipping. The former is a concern for young and old and the range of thermostatic showers and mixer taps have certainly helped reduced this. The latter fear of slipping however appears to be a fear in particular for older adults. m not sure what age you get to when you become nervous of slipping or falling it probably varies for everyone but suddenly you do. t may be that from experience you know how much it can hurt and as you become older, how much a fall or in ury can immobilise you

for a longer period of time. n response to these concerns, there have been a number of anti-slip products promoted on the market, especially for the shower tray. any were applied to the surface after manufacture of the tray but there were always some concerns over longevity with a secondary applied surface and the cleaning regime required. Then came fibreglass trays with texture as part of the gel coat surface but these could be both uncomfortable to walk on and not so easy to clean. owever, the very latest material seems to have solved the anti-slip tray issue. Today shower trays, like our new range, can be sourced with an anti-slip texture in the base acrylic skin. t results in a comfortable tread pattern that exceeds all standards for barefoot bathing.

Finding solutions

nce more it is all down to the industry product designers understanding the issues and resolving them with clever product innovations. These anti-slip trays, where the integral material tread pattern is the anti-slip ingredient, have not been easy to achieve and have taken many years to develop. The result is that they are not only slip resistant, they re also easy to clean, stain resistant and scratch resistant. The acrylic skins are then back filled with mineral resin for strength and rigidity and, in udos s case, backed with a lifetime guarantee. e believe that they represent the perfect solution for multi-generational bathrooms. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/34

26/02/2021 16:41

PHAM MAR21:Layout 1 26/02/2021 15:00 Page 41

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Inclusive Bathrooms

Reasons to aim for ageless design Bathing is an integral part of our lives, so it’s important for manufacturers and bathroom designers to consider the needs of all age groups and physical abilities, says Tom Reynolds of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association.

he UK’s ageing population is a growing market, demanding innovative bathroom product design. Currently there are nearly ˚˛ million people aged ˟˞ and over, and in ˞˙ ƘāÖũŭ ŶĞÖŶ Ʃ ėŽũā Ģŭ ťũŋıāóŶāù Ŷŋ increase by an additional ˡ̍˟ million people – an expansion roughly equivalent to the population of London. This increasing life expectancy ùŋāŭł̪Ŷ ĿāÖł ƒā̪ķķ Öķķ āłıŋƘ ĿÖłƘ Ŀŋũā years of health. Illness and disability are ŭāŶ Ŷŋ ÖƦ āóŶ ŋŽũ ķĢƑāŭ Ŀŋũā ŶĞÖł āƑāũ Öłù this presents a challenge for the entire construction sector. Architects and housebuilders are working hard to design the homes of the future, and well-ùāŭĢėłāù Ʃ ƗŶŽũāŭ Öũā a critical part of the equation when we look to provide comfortable homes for people with additional needs. ŽŶ ĢŶ̪ŭ łŋŶ ıŽŭŶ Ö óÖŭā ŋĕ ùāŭĢėłĢłė ĕŋũ an older population, we are also seeing more families living together in multigenerational homes. The bathrooms of the future have to deliver a space that is suitable and inclusive for all, without ŭÖóũĢƩ óĢłė ƪ ÖĢũ Öłù ŭŶƘķā̍

Quality of life The most important consideration when designing for people with reduced mobility is the experience of the end user. The bathroom should have an ease of use which improves their quality ŋĕ ķĢĕā̍ ÂĞāāķóĞÖĢũ Žŭāũŭ ĿÖƘ Ʃ łù the use of a wetroom, low-level entry threshold shower tray or a ramped entry to a conventional step-in shower more ðāłāƩ óĢÖķ̍ ŭĢłė ŭķĢť ũāŭĢŭŶÖłŶ ŭŽũĕÖóāŭ throughout all bathrooms will help to minimise the risks. Installing a wall-hung WC can give improved access and manoeuvrability, Öłù ŭťāóĢÖķĢŭŶ ŶŋĢķāŶ ŭāÖŶŭ ŭťāóĢƩ óÖķķƘ ùāŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ ŋƦ āũ ĢłóũāÖŭāù ĞāĢėĞŶ Öũā becoming more common. Additional support to assist movement in the bathroom can also be achieved using grab rails, available Ģł ƑÖũĢŋŽŭ Ʃ łĢŭĞāŭ Öłù óŋķŋŽũŭ Ŷŋ coordinate with bathroom design. For those living with a visual impairment, rails should be installed with high contrast colours to make them stand out ĕũŋĿ ŶĞā ŭŽũũŋŽłùĢłė ƒÖķķ Ʃ łĢŭĞāŭ Öłù furniture. Grab rails should always be Ʃ ũĿķƘ Ʃ Ɨāù Ŷŋ ķŋÖù ðāÖũĢłė ƒÖķķŭ̍ When installing radiators, additional space may be needed to allow for movement and to decrease the risk of touching the hot surface. Better still, installing low surface temperature radiators or high-level heating will prevent any issues. There are a wide range of baths available with low sides to help access, and these can be installed with a bath

Tom Reynolds

Chief executive of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association

hoist or transfer chair with motorised vertical movements to assist entry. Walk-in baths are also available, with doors to allow easy access for those less óŋłƩ ùāłŶ ėāŶŶĢłė ŋƑāũ Ö ðÖŶĞ ũĢĿ̍ Shower enclosures specially designed to suit all the users of the bathroom are now on the market. Whether it’s a half-height shower screen or a freestanding enclosure, these can use ˜˟˙΅ ĞĢłėāŭ ŋũ óŋĿðĢłÖŶĢŋłŭ ŋĕ Ʃ Ɨāù̇ hinged and sliding panels to ensure they are accessible for all. Completely level access trays, wet zones or full wet rooms are becoming increasingly popular as manufacturers and designers respond to the demands of the market. In inclusive bathrooms, conventional taps and shower controls can be replaced with lever-operated controls for ease of use, along with remotely operated thermostatic control to decrease the risk of scalding. For those with a visual impairment, shower controls with touch buttons with tactile coding or illuminated controls are available to allow independent use.

Ageless design At the BMA we aim to raise awareness of the importance of inclusive design and share best practice in providing solutions for bathrooms, cloakrooms and en-suites to suit all needs. At some time in our lives, chances are we will all need a little extra help and perhaps a few more facilities to assist us in the bathroom. Retaining dignity and independence in the bathroom is paramount, so we encourage manufacturers to create bathroom products that are beautiful and functional, ensuring the bathroom meets the needs of all the family, regardless of age or ability. ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˜˛˚̓˜˞

PHAM MAR21:Layout 1 02/03/2021 13:57 Page 42

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Inclusive Bathrooms Pod contains all the safety elements

Trays promise a safe Flight 'āŭĢėłāù ƒĢŶĞ ÖóóāŭŭĢðĢķĢŶƘ Öłù ÖùÖťŶÖðĢķĢŶƘ Ģł ĿĢłù̇ mĢũÖ̪ŭ DķĢėĞŶ dŋƒ Öłù DķĢėĞŶ dāƑāķ ŶũÖƘŭ Öũā ķĢėĞŶƒāĢėĞŶ̇ ĿÖĴĢłė ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł Öłù ťŋŭĢŶĢŋłĢłė āÖŭĢāũ̍ ¦Ğā DķĢėĞŶ dŋƒ ŶũÖƘ óÖł ƩŶ seamlessly into any bathroom with its ˝˙ĿĿ ťũŋƩķā ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł̇ ƒĞĢķŭŶ ŶĞā DķĢėĞŶ dāƑāķ̇ ÖŶ ıŽŭŶ ˛˞ĿĿ ĞĢėĞ̇ óÖł ðā ĿŋŽłŶāù Ģł ŶĞā ƪŋŋũ ĕŋũ Ö ƪŽŭĞ ƩłĢŭĞ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ ķāƑāķ ŶũÖƘ Ģŭ ŭŽĢŶÖðķā ĕŋũ óũāÖŶĢłė ŶĞā ƒāŶũŋŋĿ ÖāŭŶĞāŶĢó Öłù ťũŋƑĢùāŭ ŭŶāť-ĕũāā Öóóāŭŭ̍ mĢũÖ̪ŭ ÖłŶĢ-ŭķĢť ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ̇ ĕāÖŶŽũāù ŋł ŶĞā DķĢėĞŶ Öĕā

ŶũÖƘ̇ łŋŶ ŋłķƘ āƗóāāùŭ ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ standards but has also received the Žāāłŭ ƒÖũù ĕŋũ 1łŶāũťũĢŭā Ģł ŶĞā RłłŋƑÖŶĢŋł óÖŶāėŋũƘ̍ mÖùā Ŷŋ ķÖŭŶ ĕũŋĿ ùŽũÖðķā acrylic-óÖťťāù ũāŭĢł ŭŶŋłā̇ ŶĞāŭā ŭĞŋƒāũ ŶũÖƘŭ Öũā ŭóũÖŶóĞ Öłù óĞĢť resistant, and are available in a ŭāķāóŶĢŋł ŋĕ óŋłŶāĿťŋũÖũƘ óŋķŋŽũŭ̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ŭķÖŶā ėũÖƘ Öłù ƒĞĢŶā̍ łŽĿðāũ ŋĕ ÖùùĢŶĢŋłÖķ bathroom accessories are available ĕũŋĿ mĢũÖ̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ŭĞŋƒāũ ŭāÖŶŭ Öłù ũÖĢķŭ̇ Ŷŋ ŭŽĢŶ ŶĞā ŭķāāĴ ķŋŋĴ ŋĕ ÖłƘ Ŀŋùāũł ðÖŶĞũŋŋĿ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˜˟

¦Ğā złƘƗ !Öũā ŋù ĕũŋĿ bÂ Ģŭ Ö ŭŶÖłùÖķŋłā ŭĞŋƒāũ óŽðĢóķā ŶĞÖŶ óÖł ðā ĢłŭŶÖķķāù Ŷŋ ŭŽĢŶ ƒĞāāķóĞÖĢũ Žŭāũŭ̍ bÂ ŭÖƘŭ Ö ĿÖƗĢĿŽĿ ŋĕ Ŷƒŋ ùÖƘŭ Ģŭ ũāŨŽĢũāù Ŷŋ ũāĿŋƑā ŶĞā āƗĢŭŶĢłė ðÖŶĞũŋŋĿ Öłù ĢłŭŶÖķķ ŶĞā !Öũā ŋù̇ óŋĿťÖũāù to the traditional five to seven ùÖƘŭ ĕŋũ Öł ÖùÖťŶÖŶĢŋł ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł̍ ƑÖĢķÖðķā Öŭ ÖķóŋƑā ŋũ óŋũłāũ ŭĞŋƒāũ ŽłĢŶŭ̇ ŶĞā złƘƗ !Öũā ŋù óŋĿāŭ ƒĢŶĞ ˕ĿĿ ŶŋŽėĞāłāù ėķÖŭŭ̇ Ŷƒŋ ėũÖð ũÖĢķŭ Öłù Ö ĞāĢėĞŶ-adjustable fold-Žť ŭĞŋƒāũ ŭāÖŶ̍ ¦Ğā ÖóóāŭŭŋũĢāŭ ĿāāŶ ŶĞā ũāŨŽĢũāù dĢėĞŶ āƪāóŶĢƑā ÁÖķŽā ̛d Á̜ ũÖŶĢłė ĕŋũ ŶĞŋŭā ƒĢŶĞ ƑĢŭŽÖķ ĢĿťÖĢũĿāłŶŭ Öłù Öũā Öķŭŋ ŭŽĢŶÖðķā ĕŋũ ŶĞŋŭā ƒĢŶĞ ùāĿāłŶĢÖ̍ RŶ Ģŭ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā ƒĢŶĞ Ö óĞŋĢóā ŋĕ āĢŶĞāũ ŶĞā bÂ ĿÖũŶ!Öũā ķŽŭ 1 !Öũā ÖťťũŋƑāù āķāóŶũĢó ŭĞŋƒāũ̇ ŋũ ũĴÖ ŶĞāũĿŋŭŶÖŶĢó óÖũā ĿĢƗāũ ƑÖķƑā ̛¦mÁ˜̜ ŭĞŋƒāũ̍ ¦Ğā ŭĞŋƒāũ ŶũÖƘ ĞÖŭ Ö ĞĢėĞāũ ŭķĢť-resistance than other surface mounted trays and can Öķŭŋ ðā ũāóāŭŭāù ĕŋũ ƒĞāāķóĞÖĢũ Žŭāũŭ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˜ˠ

New shower seats bear the weight New accessories available from HiB include shower seats, with one ƑāũŭĢŋł ƩŶŶāù ƒĢŶĞ Ö ŭŽťťŋũŶ ķāė̍ 'āŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ ŋƦāũ Žŭāũŭ ÖùùĢŶĢŋłÖķ reassurance, comfort, and an ĢĿťũŋƑāù ŭĞŋƒāũĢłė āƗťāũĢāłóā̇ ðŋŶĞ ťũŋùŽóŶŭ ťũāŭāłŶ Ö ĕŋķùÖðķā ŭƘŭŶāĿ Öłù óŋĿťÖóŶ ùāŭĢėł̍ ¦Ğā

shower seat, available in white, ŋƦāũŭ Ö ŭķāāĴ Öłù óŋłŶāĿťŋũÖũƘ ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł ƒĢŶĞ ŭŶũŋłė ƩƗĢłėŭ Ŷŋ Ğŋķù Žť Ŷŋ ˚ˡ stone (˚˛˙Ĵė̜̍ ¦Ğā ŭĞŋƒāũ ŭāÖŶ ƒĢŶĞ ŭŽťťŋũŶ ķāė Öķŭŋ ŋƦāũŭ ŶĞā ŭÖĿā convenience with a choice of ƒĞĢŶā Öłù ùÖũĴ ėũāƘ ƩłĢŭĞ Öłù óÖł Ğŋķù Žť Ŷŋ ˛˜ stone (˚˞˙Ĵė̜̍ ķŭŋ łāƒ Ģŭ Ö óŋũłāũ ėũÖð ðÖũ ƒĢŶĞ ŶāƗŶŽũāù ėũĢť̇ ŋƦāũĢłė ŭāóŽũĢŶƘ Öłù ũāÖŭŭŽũÖłóā̍ RŶ óÖł ðā łāÖŶķƘ ĢłŭŶÖķķāù ÖŶ ÖłƘ ĞāĢėĞŶ Ŷŋ ŭŽĢŶ ŶĞā Žŭāũ̪ŭ łāāùŭ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˜ˡ

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Tools & Workwear

Lower risks by raising the bar on safety An injury at work can bring everything to a halt, so it makes sense to use equipment that lowers the risks. Here, Kevin Brannigan from Makita looks at some of the key safety considerations that plumbing and heating engineers need to think about and how selecting the right tools can help.

reating a safe and healthy working environment is essential and this includes a range of factors. One of the most basic steps to ensuring safety is to minimise or eliminate physical risks, such as trip hazards, from the work area. Cordless tools can provide an advantage by minimising the number of cables that need to be managed. ordless products also offer greater exibility, especially when working in confined or awkward spaces.

Well contained

Moving and storing tools on site should also be considered. Carry cases for power tools that can be easily stacked on top of each other and mounted onto a base or trolley allows easy and safe transportation. It also provides a simple way of neatly and securely storing them when not in use, again reducing the potential hazards in the work environment. A further way to improve safety is to ensure the work area is well lit to allow any hazards to be seen and prevent accidents. High quality, durable cordless lighting is ideal for this as it can be positioned where light is required with no need to manage cables. For greater convenience, look for cordless lighting that uses the same battery platform as the cordless tools to minimise the number of different chargers and battery types required. For example, the akita 05 ork ight can be mains powered or used with either 1 . V or 18V Makita batteries. It provides 750 lumens of light and can be rotated vertically through 360º to direct the light where it is needed.

Dust dangers

The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) estimates that around 13,000 deaths per year are caused by occupational lung diseases, and exposure to construction dust is a significant contributor. Although the

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BY NUMBERS

13,000 number of deaths per year caused by occupational lung diseases, including exposure to construction dust

100x

some respirable crystalline silica (RCS) particles are 1 times smaller than a grain of sand

% M-class dust extractors can remove % of dust

750 The Makita work light provides lumens of light - useful for keeping workspaces well illuminated

Circular saws are an example of a power tool that can produce damaging levels of noise if used continuously over long periods of time, so it’s worth using ear protection in these circumstances

Makita’s M-Class dust extractors can remove % of dust

as Vibration hite inger and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, as well as permanent damage to bones, nerves and blood vessels that can lead to pain, tingling, numbness and reduced dexterity. The best way to reduce the risk is to select tools that have been designed to generate minimal vibration.

Going cordless with Makita’s multi-tool reduces the risk of trips by minimising the number of cables that need to be managed

presence of dust is a common part of work on site, the reality is that the most potentially damaging forms of dust are harder to see. The type described as respirable dust consists of finer and often invisible particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and as such can be much more damaging. This includes minuscule particles of Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS), which is commonly generated from drilling or cutting brick, concrete, stone and tiles. Some RCS particles are 100 times smaller than the average grain of sand and when inhaled can cause scar tissue to form in the lungs, leading to silicosis. Prolonged exposure to respirable dust can also cause Chronic Obstructive ulmonary isease and has been linked to cancer.

Safe extraction

ffective dust extraction combined with the correct Respiratory Protective quipment with a minimum assigned protection factor (APF) of 20 or FFP3 is the best approach to dust safety. Ontool dust extraction units capture the dust at the source and prevent it from becoming airborne. There are a range of options available

Apply the brakes

including accessories and attachments to make it simple to capture the dust generated by any task. hen working with most construction materials, the minimum legal requirement is an M- lass dust extractor that removes . % of dust. In addition, it is worth looking for a dust extractor that includes features to make work easier, such as power take-off, which allows corded tools to be powered from the unit to minimise the cables in the work area. Also, units with ‘auto’ functions that mean the extractor runs automatically when the tool is in use will help make dust management simpler. There are also options for cordless tools, such as the Makita Autostart ireless ystem A , which connects the tools to compatible dust extractors via Bluetooth to provide the same automatic operation.

Bad vibrations

Most power tools produce vibration to some extent, which is transferred into a user’s hands and arms while operating them. requent or prolonged exposure can cause a number of serious issues. This includes Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), which includes conditions such

It is also important to understand the levels of exposure to ensure safe working limits are not being breached. ach tool has a vibration exposure value, and this combined with the usage time, can then be used to calculate the daily exposure given in points to assess the risk. The Health and afety xecutive sets the xposure Action Value AV at 100 points and the xposure imit Value V at 00 points. hen the AV is reached, steps must be taken to reduce or manage exposure, and when the V is reached, work must stop. There are easy-to-use calculator tools available that will help in assessing the risk.

Sound approach

Finally, loud noise is often unavoidable during the course of a working day, but frequent or extended exposure can permanently damage hearing. Appropriate and correctly fitting ear protection must be worn whenever noisy work is undertaken. It is also possible to reduce the noise at its source by selecting tools that produce lower levels of sound. A safe working environment is essential not only for preventing accidents and injury but for protecting long term health. Purchasing the right power tools with features that help reduce these risks will always be a wise investment. ◼ /321/3

01/03/2021 10:36

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Tools & Workwear

Sustainable alternatives in clothing

t Snickers ensures that the wool it uses for its workwear is produced to global wool standards which ensure good animal practice

iven increasing levels of awareness about the impact of waste on our environment, this will surely have an impact on the clothes people choose to work in for years to come. This product development and design philosophy is being applied to every new product in the nickers orkwear collection, with the additional assurance that the nickers hallmarks of design, comfort, functionality and durability will not be compromised in any way.

The idea that clothing presents an environmental threat may be new to some people, but the problem is one that has been around for decades. eter umigan from the ultafors roup explains how your clothing choices play out in the real world.

s the effects of plastic waste on the environment have been brought to the centre of consumer consciousness in recent years, so the problems caused by the disposal of clothing and shoes are coming to the fore. mages of ragpickers on waste clothing mountains in Africa are an increasing cause for concern as landfill sites in the become overwhelmed and we dispose of our waste on someone else s doorstep. That s why the sourcing of sustainable and environmentally responsible workwear and safety footwear is becoming a key part of our environmental consciousness.

Leading the way

ur ob ective is to ensure that by 2030, 70% of the fabrics used are referred ibres those with sustainable properties and a lower environmental footprint. As early as 2023, the company will be at 0% a significant achievement by any measure. or those that haven t come across the term before, referred ibres have more sustainable properties compared to conventional man-made alternatives. iven that almost any fabric and garment can be developed with recycled polyester yarn, our aim is to replace conventional fibres such as polyester with referred ibres which have full manufacturing transparency, traceability and thus reduce our climate impact and prevent waste from going to landfill. an-made materials, such as nylon and polyester fabrics, can easily be recycled to create new, referred ibres that have the same performance levels in comfort, exibility and durability as the originals.

Peter Dumigan

MD of the Hultafors Group UK

Material world

abric technology has always been a key driver in the design and development of nickers orkwear garments. abrics that deliver comfort and functionality, exibility and durability are key components of every single product in the range. ow, as consumers and corporates strive to reduce their impact on the planet, we here at ultafors roup are implementing a policy of replacing conventional fabrics in workwear products with sustainable fabrics.

1 % allnatural Merino wool mid- and base-layer clothes are designed by nature for excellent ventilation and insulation

Preferred properties

Circular design

The EMMA Safety Footwear range from Hultafors is produced with ‘1 % Circularity’ – each item is made entirely from recycled or recyclable materials. It’s a 1 % ‘circular’ recycling process for every shoe and boot in the range.

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Our objective is to ensure that by 2 3 % of the fabrics used are those with sustainable properties and a lower environmental footprint

nickers orkwear s new leece ackets for men and women are made from 100% recycled olartec polyester, which increases the breathability of the fabric and makes them very comfortable and warm. They re lightweight with great insulation properties and, with designs for both men and women and a fit that ensures mobility and exibility on site these soft and versatile garments are great for both work and leisure, either as an everyday outer acket in dry, cold weather or as an insulating mid-layer on cold and wet workdays. earing sustainable garments such as these is an easy but urgent step in developing your and your company s sustainability roadmap, so you will be able to make a conscious contribution to the environment and save valuable resources such as energy and water with your buying decisions. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/4

01/03/2021 11:21

PHAM MAR21:Layout 1 01/03/2021 17:14 Page 45

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Tools & Workwear 45 Grip, press or bend

Denim just for women delivers on durability

The Pliers Wrench from Knipex is an all-rounder, suitable for use on a variety of tasks, whether it’s tightening nuts and bolts, bending, pressing or gripping. Thanks to the powerful force multiplication from handles to jaws, these pliers wrenches can be put to almost any use including tightening locknuts, edge ðũāÖĴĢłė ƒĞāł ŶĢķĢłė ŋũ ŭłÖťťĢłė óÖðķā ŶĢāŭ ̞ ĢŶ óÖł āƑāł be used as a small bench vice. For more intricate work, the entire surface of the tool’s jaws is smooth, so it grips objects firmly and safely, allowing even plated fittings with polished surfaces to be gripped without damage. ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˜˛˚̓˝˚

Combo speeds up cable installations

A time saving onsite cable management system has been produced by a combination of Spit’s Pulsa fastening system and Demon Cato’s RollaTray. When used together, the solution could help contractors to

reduce labour costs and improve safety levels. RollaTray is a cable management solution in place of the traditional cable tray, cable basket and cable matting systems, designed for speed across all installations. RollaTray minimises the requirement for on-ŭĢŶā óŽŶŶĢłė Öłù ƩķĢłė̇ ũāùŽóĢłė ŶĞā łāāù Ŷŋ ÖóŨŽĢũā a hot works permit, which is sometimes required when using alternative metal channel systems. Spit Pulsa is a direct fastening system, replacing drilling and traditional methods with rapid, modern Öłù óķāÖł ƩƗĢłė ĢłŶŋ óŋłóũāŶā Öłù ŭŶāāķ ŭŽðŭŶũÖŶāŭ̍ This reduces exposure to dust and provides a cleaner, safer working environment. ¦Ğā ŭƘŭŶāĿ̪ŭ ŭĢĿťķā ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł Öłù ƪāƗĢðĢķĢŶƘ Ģŭ said to make it suitable for use across a wide range of projects. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˝˛

Handy, cordless screwdriver The Bosch GO cordless screwdriver is quick and easy to use, letting you tackle screwdriving jobs with minimal fuss. A dual activation mode means it can be operated by simply pushing the machine forward or pressing the ‘on’ button to begin. Use the mechanical clutch to select the right amount of torque for each job, with five torque settings or ‘maximum performance mode’. Due to an electronic brake, the tool stops immediately after deactivation. Bosch GO is intended for screwdriving in wood, metal and plastic, as well as working on delicate or ornamental work. It is compatible with all standard USB chargers. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˝˝

Next-level knee protection

Recoil Knee Pads are a next-generation product designed to provide enhanced protection for installers who spend much of their time on their knees. The company says its product has an edge over conventional gel and foam knee pads with its spring absorption system to reduce impact and pressure on the joint, claiming they can reduce peak pressure on the knee by ˠ˟%. The six-spring suspension system allows the kneepad to pivot, making it easier to move Öóũŋŭŭ Ö ƪŋŋũ ̞ Ö ĕāÖŶŽũā ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞā óŋĿťÖłƘ ŭÖƘŭ sets it apart from other options on the market. Recoil comes with soft, secure straps that won’t dig in and don’t chafe. They are held in place with two elastic straps that wrap around the leg. Specialist tiler from North Yorkshire, Ben ĞŋŶŶāũ̇ ŭÖƘŭ āóŋĢķ ĞÖŭ ĿÖùā Ö ðĢė ùĢƦāũāłóā to the state of his knees: “I have been tiling for ˚˞ ƘāÖũŭ ŋĕ ĴłāāķĢłė ùŋƒł Öłù ŭĞŽƨĢłė ÖũŋŽłù on my knees. Recoil Knee Pads have helped me so much, more than I could have hoped. I can literally be on them all day and have no aches at all when I get home!” ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˝˞

American women’s workwear specialist Dovetail has launched the Noir No Fade Black denim, part of the Supercharged Cordura Denim collection, claimed to be up to four times stronger than regular cotton denim. With a comfortable stretch, long lasting softness is built in thanks to the supple wood-based Lenzing ¦āłóāķ ðũÖłùāù ĿŋùÖķ Ʃðāũŭ used, which also gives them sustainability credentials. Dovetail co-founder Sara DeLuca explains that the company responds to demand: “We build radical pieces out of need. Women tell us what they want and we go from there.” The Supercharged Cordura Denim collection is a portfolio of durable, long-lasting, highperformance tech denims. Noir is a black performance denim designed with ‘˞S technology’: Softness, Strength, Stayblack colour, Stretchability, Sustainability. The fabric is soft and stretchy, but also tough and designed not to fade. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˜˛˚̓˝˜

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Tools & Workwear

How to stop van thieves in their tracks

Inventor Michael Horsfall displaying the Vanguardian in situ on the rear doors of a van

A Yorkshire plumber has come up with a fresh idea of how to deter van thieves and protect valuable assets on board. Michael Horsfall’s invention, Vanguardian, is a zonal based alarm system designed to stop theft before it even starts.

plumbing and heating engineer from Leeds has developed a van alarm system designed to both deter thieves and stop them in their tracks by emitting a 110db alarm. Michael Horsfall spent over 30 years as a self-employed plumbing and heating engineer, and in that time he has had his fair share of van break-ins that led him to question why there wasn t an effective, affordable system on the market to stop tool and vehicle theft. “I was inspired to look at the problem of van crime from a completely different perspective, using my own experience,” explains Michael. “I recognised that an unalarmed pipe carrier drew the attention of thieves, so I designed the Vanguardian as an affordable, alternative security solution to protect the vehicle and the tools and assets on board.” After two years of development, ichael has finally unveiled his

invention, the Vanguardian, describing it as a multipoint, exible, onal alarm system that provides security for everything from the roof racks, down to the body of the van. It is an allround system that combats door tampering, lock damage, and door peeling.

Vanguardian comes in two versions - a Dual version (top) for rear doors and roof racks, and a Twin version (middle) for side doors – along with remote controls (bottom)

Targeted protection

The system is remote controlled and is quick and easy to install, taking ust five minutes, with no tools or drilling required. Once fitted, it works to protect the most commonly targeted zones on a van, such as doors, locks and roof racks carrying ladders and pipe. The device is designed to be seen on the exterior of the vehicle and is attached simply with 3M waterproof high-bond adhesive tape. Once the Vanguardian alarm is activated, unauthorised removal will trigger a two second, 110db alarm response. If contact continues within 10 seconds, the alarm will activate for 30 seconds before resetting itself, effectively

providing its own self-defence against tampering.

Early warning

“Factory-fitted alarms or other devices that fit inside the vehicle only work after the doors have been forced open and damage has been done,” explains Michael. “The Vanguardian instead activates upon first contact,

before damage is done and before the doors are opened. This gives van owners an early warning and motivates the thieves to move on.” The Vanguardian is available in two versions. The first is the ual alarm with two, independent alarm mechanisms. Once armed, they will sound an audible alert when sensing contact within its

olesa s an sc e i e its a e to ect e an e Launched to bring performance and value to the trade user, the Spectre range has now been expanded. As well as the company’s Advanced Multi-Purpose Wood and Timber Fixing Screws, the range now

o s ell no

oul

The HB 2 Ultimate ‘All-in-One’ Sealant & Adhesive now comes in a new improved formula which includes antimould as standard. Based on advanced hybrid polymer technology, the trade strength sealant and adhesive is designed to perform across a wide range of industrial applications, including adhesion to glass, wood, stainless steel, aluminium, porcelain, UPVC, coated metal, and polystyrene. Available in a range of colours, the HB 2 Ultimate is odourless and can be used inside and outdoors, in the wet or dry. Easy to work with, it has stretchability up to 300% and is fully cured in 2 hrs. The product is also available in sustainable Eco-Foils, which reduce landfill waste by 5% when compared to traditional plastic cartridges. phamnews.co.uk/321/4

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includes a comprehensive choice of holesaws and screwdriver bits. The Spectre range of screwdriver bits includes nut drivers, bit holders and bit sets covering Pozi, Torx and Philips in 25mm and 50mm lengths. The screwdriver bits are manufactured from two stage hardened steel for high strength and durability, and are also shock and wear-proof, with precision machined tips. Holesaws are also now a key part of the range too, ideal for drilling in pipework and cabling installations as well as for cutting wood, plastics, plasterboard, stainless and mild steel. The bi-metal holesaws feature hardened steel teeth to achieve smooth, clean cuts and are heat and wear resistant for a prolonged life. Spectre has also launched a ninepiece Plumbers’ set of holesaws, packaged in a smart aluminium carrying case. phamnews.co.uk/321/4

Competition

Look out for next month’s issue en e ll e o e in a chance to win one of an ua ian ual ala s

designated zonal area, such as on the rear doors or roof rack. The second version of Vanguard is the Twin alarm, which offers the same protection as the ual alarm, but with two independent single units protecting two separate zonal areas, such as the offside and near side doors.

How to get one

The Vanguardian is available for purchase through the website, using the reader link below. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/4

ine a li

A new self-balancing area site light is now available from Makita. The 10 1 V Self Righting Site Light LXT delivers up to 5500 lumens (lm) and 360 illumination, with the option for corded or cordless operation. 10 The self-balancing design of the akita means that it remains upright even when knocked or bumped, making it ideal for busy sites. It features three operation modes, High (5500 lm), Medium (3000 lm) or Low (1500 lm) and three illumination direction modes – full 360 , or 1 0 to the left or to the right. ust and water resistant, the light delivers up to 15 hours of continuous illumination on Low with two 5.0Ah 1 V batteries, and over three hours on High. When using AC power, the batteries function as a power back up to keep the area lit if the power fails. phamnews.co.uk/321/4

01/03/2021 11:36

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Product News 47 Autobalancing is part of a complete UFH package Autobalancing controls are just one of the handy features in Uponor’s new range of under oor heating packs. The company says these new packs make it easy to source everything for a pro ect from one place. Instead of having to calculate how much of each product is needed each time, installers can simply contact the company’s customer service team and get a full breakdown of all the components required for the ob. The autobalancing is a result of having one manufacturer supply every aspect of the system – including smart controls – a function not possible when the pipework, manifold and controls come from multiple suppliers and aren’t designed to communicate with each other. The intelligent autobalancing function continuously monitors temperatures inside a home and regulates each heating circuit individually. This means that the system continually adapts to suit every space and zone it is placed in, without requiring the complicated recalculations or ad ustments of manual balancing. It continues to provide this automatic balancing throughout the seasons and adapts to changes in

In-wall installation

a household’s usage patterns, as well as structural changes such as new oor coverings. This results in a more even temperature and faster reaction times, as well as being up to 20% more energy efficient than alternative systems. The Smatrix Pulse smart control included in the packs can be managed using Alexa voice control, Google Voice Assistant and the Smatrix Pulse app, allowing homeowners to manage their heating remotely to further save on costs. The packs come with everything installers need to successfully fit under oor heating in a variety of different pro ect types, including for screed, timber, and low-profile applications. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/

lt a uiet ans ee s a lo The Ultimate dMEV from Titon is a constant ow fan that has been specifically designed to exceed ventilation demands, but meets current and proposed legislation. It is described as an ‘ultra quiet low profile fan, suitable for new build or refurbishment pro ects. t is described as a one-fan-fits-all solution and is suitable for bathrooms, kitchens and utility room applications. With adjustable continuous and boost speed settings available, the Titon Ultimate d V utilises an efficient DC motor and incorporates a specially designed impeller/

Extended family of hot water solutions The recent expansion to Elco’s portfolio of hot water products means the range now comprises over 60 direct, indirect and storage models. A stand-out performer in the range is the Trigon XL direct gas water heater, which boasts an advanced burner design. There are three different versions to choose from including: standard, industrial, and swimming pool.

47.indd 1

Ideal Standard has launched ProSys, a complete installation system for wall-hung toilets, basins, urinals and accessories. t includes frames, cisterns and ush plates, and it works seamlessly across all of Ideal Standard International’s brands – including Armitage hanks products. The ProSys collection of WC frames comes in a variety of depths and heights. ull frames are available in 1150mm and 20mm heights. The 20mm frames are suitable for use in furniture applications or under windows, and have the choice of either front or top ush plate installation. alf-wall frames, which exclude the cistern, are also available and are appropriate to use when replacing a oor-standing WC with a wall-hung toilet, but keeping the existing concealed cistern.

o le guide vane combination to produce high ow rates and pressure. The humidity version tackles the problems of mould and condensation. The fan is easy to maintain, simple to monitor using a relative humidity data logging facility, and can be commissioned in minutes. ee aulfield, ventilation systems sales director, says: “The development of the Titon Ultimate dMEV was a result of listening to our customers’ requirements and needs, whilst looking at current and proposed legislation. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/ 1

Another addition to the commercial water heater range is the Tudor direct gas water heater. This condensing appliance incorporates a room sealed premix combustion system fired by natural gas or , for medium to large commercial use. omplementing the Tudor is its sister product, the Tudor , a high efficiency atmospheric unit for refurbishments. oth Tudor and units are constructed from carbon steel with an enamel lining and incorporate a Protech electronic anode system, magnesium anode and dual cylinder protection as standard. lco also offers indirect single coil calorifiers the stainless steel Inox-Maxi SSC1 and the Polywarm-Maxi PWC1 are both economical calorifiers certified to A egulation . In addition, there are ten indirect twin coil units, including the InoxMaxi SSC2, a twin coil stainless steel calorifier, plus the emini i indirect tank-in-tank units. inally, lco also provides a choice of hot water storage solutions suitable for medium to large applications, such as the Inox- axi buffer cylinder. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/ 3

Flush plates

There is a collection of 50 ush plates to choose from, offering a wide range of shapes, colours, functions and materials for specifiers. They are available with either mechanical, pneumatic, or electronic actuation and are compatible with most of the company s ranges. ProSys was developed to be easy to install, with a straightforward three-step fitting process. aintenance typically proves more difficult with in-wall frame systems but, the company says, with this range it has been made simpler and easier with toolfree access to the ro ys cisterns. All cisterns come with an Ideal Standard SmartValve, a water reducing device which can save up to 63 litres of water every week, reducing costs for end-users and contributing to overall sustainability. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/ 2

Stainless steel pipe alternative

ONLINE For further information about any of the products featured on this page, simply visit phamnews. co.uk/321/ followed by the relevant enquiry number.

The range of piping solutions for building services from Viega has been enhanced with the introduction of the new Inox 1. 520 pipe. This nickelfree stainless steel pipe has been designed to ensure consistent quality and regular dimensions that will offer an alternative to copper pipe in non-potable heating and industrial applications. The Inox 1. 520 pipe is available with covered endcaps to ensure the inside of the pipe remains free from any contamination if handled improperly. or safety, the piping system is marked with a copper coloured not drinking water permitted symbol. With a variety of pipe dimensions from 15 to 10 mm, including intermediate sizing such as 6 mm, Inox 1. 520 pipe is compatible with Viega s rofipress copper and anpress and anpress nox fittings. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/ 4

01/03/2021 16:44

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Product News Snugging in at plumbers merchant

Circulators for a wide range of applications

With an EEI rating from 0.1 and both fixed and proportional control, tuart Turner offers an electronically controlled, high efficiency circulator range for hot water heating, air conditioning, and closed cooling circuits. tilising high efficiency, permanent magnet motor technology and ceramic bearings, each model offers three constant fixed speed modes – low, medium or high – three proportional pressure modes. This means the pump constantly monitors system pressure and ow and adjusts according to demand. The range is suitable for a variety of applications such as single and twin pipe heating systems and mixing loops. The ST15 60 and T25 0 cast iron heating circulator models are designed to constantly circulate hot water within a closed loop system. The ST15 60 offers a typical performance of 3.3m3 per hour and up to 6m head, whilst the T25 0 offers an impressive .5m3 per hour and up to m head. The ST15 60 B bronze circulating pump is designed to constantly circulate hot water in a domestic system and offers a performance up to 3.3m3 per hour and up to 6m head. tuart irculators are continuously rated, supplied with up to five years warranty, and now feature on the free Stuart Turner Product Selection app. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/

The PipeSnug and FlueSnug products are now stocked by Graham Plumbers Merchant nationwide. This expands the availability of the neat pipe and ue sealing products which take seconds to install and provide an instant, aesthetically pleasing, weather and draught proof seal where pipes and ues exit a wall. “We are delighted Graham

is stocking our products and this is more great news for our product range, following the recent endorsements by boiler

manufacturers Ideal Heating and Worcester Bosch,” says Alex Lever, director of PipeSnug. “The PipeSnug range will be featuring in the Graham Essentials catalogue and we will be working with the Graham team on future promotions.” ipe nug simply fits into the hole drilled for the pipework and comes in 32mm, 0mm or 110mm sizes, removing any need for pointing. Its big brother, FlueSnug, can be installed in less than five seconds and snuggly fits the 152mm core-drilled hole in the wall through which the boiler pipe and ue exits. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/

Back in black makes an elegant statement The Black Concept collection from Keuco includes bathroom furniture as well as taps, showers, fittings and accessories. The euco dition 11 bathroom furniture comes with a black metallicpigmented lacquer finish, such as vanity units and storage solutions. The black finish is easy to care for and has anti fingerprint protection. The IXMO shower range is also available with a brushed black chrome finish pictured far left . Edition 11 fittings and accessories also come in brushed black chrome to create an elegant contrast when combined with white ceramic washbasins (pictured near left). ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/

Providing complete control Suitable for both homes and commercial premises, the 6 Series WiFi programmable room thermostat from ESi Controls is fully OpenTherm compatible and allows full control via the stat or a mobile device. Features include optimum start/stop, domestic hot water (DHW) setpoint, hot water time and temperature control when working in conjunction with a wireless cylinder thermostat, full 7 day, 5 2 day or 2 hour programming options, a boost facility, a helpful holiday mode, and is an ERP Class 5 Product. The new controls are available in white or grey. “This is the new ‘Rolls-Royce’ of our range,” says UK sales director Tristan ames. t has all the latest features and benefits you could want and it looks good too – it really is an impressive addition to our range. Despite the Covid situation, we’ve had a stunning year of sales and we’ve kept up with the development work as well so that we can introduce the 6 series on time. The initial response from our customers has been phenomenal.” ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/

Stylish look AC has ultra quiet operation Toshiba’s new air conditioning unit for homes – Haori – is distinguished by an attractive textile cover that helps it blend in with residential settings. It also has technical benefits, such as triple A efficiency for both heating and cooling and near-silent operation. Taking advantage of R32 refrigerant for minimal environmental impact, Haori’s A+++ energy performance is said to provide the best partload efficiencies in its segment: the system is rated to .6 for easonal nergy fficiency atio and 5.1 for easonal oefficient f erformance . n addition, Toshiba’s rotary compressor and inverter

48.indd 1

Washbasins made for compact spaces

technology respect the environment through constant regulation of heating and cooling capacity. The unit’s quiet function reduces noise from the indoor unit to a barely-audible 1 dB(A), ensuring a good night’s sleep. The outdoor unit is quiet too, at a nominal dB(A). ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/

The latest designer collection from RAK Ceramics has been created to bring luxury to small bathrooms. RAK-Petit comprises small washbasins featuring minimal shapes and modest dimensions. The collection includes deep-based washbasins that can be installed alone or combined with RAK-Joy vanity units in domestic bathrooms, as well as freestanding washbasins that are statement pieces in their own right. Featuring circular and square shapes, the freestanding ceramic RAK-Petit washbasins in striking Alpine White measure an elegant 360mm wide x 00mm tall. RAK-Petit wall-hung washbasins (pictured) are equally as stylish, again with round or square basin shapes combined with a ceramic ledge, providing an easy to wipe clean surface for soaps and toothbrushes. Wall-hung basins measure 765x 360mm. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/

01/03/2021 16:58

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

COMPETITION

Product News Pull-down nozzle standard on all taps Five new kitchen taps have been introduced by Methven, suitable for all plumbing systems and optimised to operate at six litres per minute. Every model features a pull-down nozzle for quick rinsing. The first in the range, unston pictured , features a chrome plated, contemporary finish that is combined with dual handles to provide separate ow and temperature control for ease of operation. The atheson design is also chrome plated with stainless steel tubing, while the single lever handle delivers tilt and turn temperature and ow control. e ecting industrial in uences, the awei model is also constructed with a lever handle to facilitate tilt and turn temperature

Revamped sizing app eases installs nstallers of the T solution from astite will benefit from the latest generation of the company s si ing app. uilding on the previous version, the new sizing app is designed to offer installers greater support and navigability. Key features include an option to choose between natural gas or LPG, access to the esign nstallation Guide for targeted installation advice, and FAQs for quick, on-the-job information. There is also a find a stockist feature and information on contacting

and ow control, whilst the chrome plated finish is combined with an effective, angular design. For contemporary monochrome kitchens, the llesmere atte lack features a matte black finish and lever handle to provide inclusive use for all the family. The llesmere hrome and lack range utilises the same construction, yet features a chrome plated finish with a matte black tube. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/ 1

Gastite for sales advice and technical support. All of this is integrated into an engaging, easy-to-follow design for simple navigation. ommenting on the new app, national sales manager Paul Molle says: “We wanted to take some of the key benefits that our T system offers, such as exibility, ease of use and performance, and apply them to our new app. With this value-added app, we are offering installers a quick and easy way to get help with sizing an installation.” The company also offers a free si ing and design service along with dedicated technical support. The app is available for free, and existing users are encouraged to update to this latest version. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/ 2

Your chance to win a £500 voucher! We've teamed up with Stelrad to offer readers the chance to win a £500 voucher that can be used to purchase any radiators from the company’s website

FIT FOR THE FUTURE Stelrad has been manufacturing radiators since 1936 and manufactures more than 2 million radiators at its production centre in Mexborough in South Yorkshire. Over the years, the company’s products have continued to evolve with more innovative, aesthetically pleasing designs, including a wide range of space-saving vertical o tions and different olour finis es Stelrad has also developed models to meet s e ifi re uirements su as t ose t at offer additional rust resistance in areas of high humidity and safe-to-touch low surface temperature (LST) radiators to minimise any risk of burning for elderly and vulnerable users. More recently, Stelrad has responded to the growing demand for renewable heating systems by expanding its K3 range of radiators – a range designed to use with heat pumps and other low temperature heating systems. The K3 range features three panels and t ree fins on a radiator footprint that is only slightly larger than a traditional K2 design, but offers an additional 50% metal surface area. The Stelrad Compact K3 range is currently available in 40 sizes, with lengths from 400-2400mm and heights from 300-700mm.

Cleaner, purer air all year round Aimed at the residential market, the WindFree Pure 1.0 from Samsung is a wall-mounted air conditioner equipped with a PM1.0 filter for air purification, WindFree cooling technology, Freeze Wash functionality, and smart control abilities. The electrostatic PM1.0 filter works as an air purifier and can filter dust particles up to 0.3 m microns and sterili e microorganisms using an electrostatic charger, providing cleaner air in homes. The Freeze Wash helps clean the unit and removes up to 0% of certain types of bacteria. With this functionality, the heat exchanger of the indoor unit is cooled to -15 to cover it with frost. When put into defrost mode, the melting ice removes certain types of bacteria within the heat exchanger. Via the martThings app, a notification can be sent when the heat exchanger needs to be cleaned using the Freeze Wash functionality. Wind-Free technology enhances indoor comfort by using thousands of micro-holes to disperse fresh air uniformly without any unpleasant blasts of cold wind. In this mode, air is spread softly and silently, creating a still air environment. Indoor air quality can be continuously monitored via the SmartThings app. Even when the unit is turned off, the dust sensor is able to register the current air quality in the room. A notification is sent when air pollution reaches the level poor or very poor . The user can respond to the information by turning on the purify mode remotely. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/321/ 3

49.indd 1

HOW TO ENTER: o be in wit a an e of winnin t e ou er sim l answer t e uestion below ll orre t entries received before the closing date will be entered into a prize draw to be completed on rd ril nl one entr will be allowed er erson and t e ou er must be used to purchase products from the Stelrad website – no alternative cash prize will be offered.

Please email your entry before the closing date of 2nd April 2021

When did Stelrad begin manufacturing radiators? A. 1916

B. 1936

C. 1956

Email your answer to editor@phamnewsedit.co.uk with ‘STELRAD competition’ in the subject line. Please make sure you include the following:

* Your name * Your company’s name * Contact telephone number * Please type ‘YES’ or 'NO' after your answer to indicate if you are happy to receive email offers from Stelrad

www.stelrad.com

02/03/2021 11:09

Pham Dir training Info MARCH21:Layout 1 02/03/2021 11:48 Page 50

PHAM NEWS | MARCH 2021

Directory Radiators

Boilers

Radiators

INDUSTRIAL BOILER SPECIALISTS The UK’s largest supplier of Industrial Steam & Hot Water boiler plant. Fast, efficient Nationwide service for planned or emergency cover, R&D projects or extra capacity. • Hot water boilers 30-8,000kw/hr • Steam boilers 150-15,880kg/hr • Pressures from 7-17 bar • Oil, gas or dual fuel • Long or short term hire • Full commissioning service • 24/7 support • Nationwide Sales & Hire

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NATIONWIDE SALES & HIRE Quote PHAM03

Call +44 (0)1992 451629 www.kingsboilerhire.com

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The Copper King

Controls

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Water Heaters

Heating Controls Next day delivery available on 100s of controls

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Equipment Purchased

WE BUY ANY

BOILER AND HEATING PARTS

Cash waiting for job lots of new boiler and heating parts Genuine parts in good condition and manufacturer’s original packaging

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• Excess Stock • Retirement Sale • Closing Down Sale • Slow Moving Parts • Pristine Van Stock Text or WhatsApp on 07958 665075 joblotboilerparts.co.uk

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Plumbpal Products

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