Your magazine for the latest company news and industry updates
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019
THE INSTALLER’S
CHOICE
INSTALLING STYLE INTO THE INDUSTRY
Facebook Live
In the Family
Installer Spotlight
Thanks to the thousands of you who joined in our first ever Facebook Live event! Read all about it! Page 8
We spoke to Off the Tools’ Wayne Bettess about training his dad to be an installer. Page 12
Richard Lloyd speaks to us about installing his first ever Greenstar 8000 Style. Page 18
ON
PE TIT I
INSTALLER’S VOICE
CO M
Your chance to win a mega prize bundle worth £10k
Worcester Bosch and Installer have partnered for an exciting new Pimp My Van competition. Onee lucky installer will drive offfff with a van full of goodies, including a Greenstar 8000 Style boiler.
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he Pimp My Van campaign n celebrates the vital importtance of an installer’s van and wh hat they carry on board. So Worcester Bosch, Bosch Power Tools and Bosch Automative are all coming along for the ride and offering amazing prizes to enssure that your van is kept in tip-top p shape and you have the best quality tools for the job. The treasure trove of prizess includes: • A complete fresh wrap forr your van, including designed logos and respray to your colour of choicce. • New internal racking to en nsure maximum efficient storage in th he back of your van. • Bosch Automotive is offering a full professional van service at the winner’s closest Bosch service centre, as well as brand new wiper blades and replacement bulbs. • With a high-quality van, you need the tools to match. Bosch Power Tools is giving away a great six-piece tool set from its Professional 18V Dynamic Series. This includes the latest cordless tools, which for the first time have been built to have a superior performance to the corded equivalent. For more information of what is included in this combo sixpiece kit visit bit.ly/2JqmBDI • And pride of place in the back of the van, what better than a new Greenstar 8000 Style boiler. Launched in May, the Style is the manufacturer’s new state-of-theart product and comes in two distinctive high-gloss colours: black and white. It redefines the aesthetic look and feel of a boiler, 02 while simplifying both installation and servicing with features like the one-screw front removal, easy side
pan nel removals and colour-ccoded service parts. Available in comb bi, system and regular models, witth power outputs from 30kW to 50kW, the Style is the most powerful wallhung boiler on the market. It co omes with an improved touch screen LCD display, unlocking advanced features through simple navigation, full-colour display and clear text descriptions. For more information, visit bit.ly/2XEzIKs The complete bundle is worth up to £10k and will ensure the winner continues to provide the best service to their customers and the local community, both in-house and on the road.
For your chance to win simply answer the question below: What colour options does the Greenstar 8000 Style offer? White & Pink White & Brown White & Black Simply e-mail your answer to worcester.bosch@installeronline.co.uk with a daytime phone number, your postcode and a photo of your van. The winner will be chosen at random and informed by the end of October.
The Installer’s Choice isMay/June T&Cs No cash alternative available, the2019 prize is non-transferable. The competition is open to UK residents only.
THE INSTALLER’S CHOICE
Welcome As heating season rapidly approaches, we’ve used this issue to focus on a number of issues that affect you as installers from industry-wide changes to day-to-day working life. As usual in our industry, there are new regulations that will have an effect on your business. One new standard is PAS2035. Neil Schofield gives his unique perspective on the subject. As you know, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced during his Spring Statement that from 2025, gas boilers will no longer be in new-build homes in this country. The media covered this widely, but did they explain it properly? Find out what Martyn Bridges thinks. Then we had the news from the Government to commit the country to net zero carbon by 2050.
Central to all this was the Committee for Climate Change, and we’ve had the pleasure to host the CEO of the CCC at our Worcester HQ to give him our industry perspective and hopefully we gave him some food for thought. Elsewhere, Ewan Sutherland and Nick Fothergill from Worcester HQ have recently swapped roles. Ewan is our new National Training Manager, while Nick will know be focused on the technical side in his new role as Engineering Services Manager. Give Nick’s first ever Installer’s Choice Technical Q&A a read on page 14 and 15. But most importantly, we want to hear from you. What would you want to see in these pages? We’re always interested in your feedback so head to page 20 for details on how you can get in touch with your stories and input. We hope you enjoy this edition. Steve Lister, Sales and Marketing Director
Inside this issue Page 4 & 5 Neil Schofield is passing on PAS 2035, and the CCC popped in for a visit Page 6 We look into attitudes around heat pumps and renewables Page 7 Steve Lister gives his tips on how to sell premium to customers Page 8 & 9 We pick some of our favourite questions from our recent Facebook Live event. Thanks to all who tuned in!
Page 10 Martyn Bridges discusses how the media has skewed the new build boiler ban in 2025
Page 16 & 17 We sat down with installers to talk about the most recent hot topics Page 18 & 19 Installer Spotlight
Page 11 Interior designer Sophie Robinson shares her advice on how to sell the Greenstar 8000 Style to designsavvy homeowners
Page 20 & 21 We need your views on future IC articles (and your GDPR consent!) Page 22 Win With Worcester
Page 12 & 13 Wayne Bettess speaks to us about family
Page 23 Meet the newest members of our team
Page 14 & 15 Nick Fothergill gives his first Technical Q&A
August/September 2019 The Installer’s Choice
03
NEWS
Discussing the future of heating – with the CCC
Following recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change, the Government recently announced its commitment to net zero UK carbon by 2050. As some of you may not know, the UK is currently a climate leader and is estimated to be spending approximately £1 billion a year on climate finance activites. However, the UK is the first major economy committing to completely end its contribution to global climate change by 2050. Last month, our CEO Carl Arntzen had the pleasure of hosting a meeting with the CEO of the CCC, Chris Stark and CEO
of Energy and Utilities Aliance, Mike Foster to discuss the decarbonisation of heating and hot water. During their tour of our HQ, they became the first people in the UK to see first-hand the UK’s first fully-functional hydrogen boiler, something we have been working very closely on. The prototype runs on 100% hydrogen gas and could potentially lead the way to a new fuel source for heating and hot water in the UK. By adapting low or zero carbon gas in our homes, we will keep the bills down and limit the amount of carbon that’s released Hydrogen seems a really good Chris Stark, CEO of Committee on Climate Change with Carl Arntzen, CEO of Worcester Bosch
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solution to decarbonising heat and water in homes, particularly existing homes where it wouldn’t require a new heating system or extensive insulation measures to enable it to work efficiently. As a manufacturer of domestic boilers, we believe hydrogen is definitely the way forward. We are delighted to see organisations and bodies such as the CCC directly connecting with big heating companies to discuss decarbonisation and saving the planet. We will officially be revealing the hydrogen boiler prototype later this year. To find out what the future holds for the UK’s gas mains network, download our future of fuel guide: www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/ hydrogen
The Future Of Fuel What the future holds for the UK’s mains gas network
The Installer’s Choice August/September 2019
NEWS
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it So your boiler of 15 years breaks down. Time to get a new one. You get in touch with an installer for a new one, they visit the house to inspect the job, and return a couple of days later to fit the new one. Simple right? This process happens roughly 6,000 times a day in the UK, averaging at 1.7m times a year. This fairly seamless process doesn’t seem to be broken to me, or the industry, so why fix it? Well, a bunch of certification bodies have decided that change is needed and have dreamt up PAS 2035. A new standard which introduces a number of new and confusing steps for those required to fit energy efficiency measures – such as heating appliances. But why has this been introduced? Firstly, PAS 2035 hasn’t come from the minds of anybody in the industry. In fact, none of us were invited to the process. It is the certification market that will
gain from introducing this extra compliance, not the installer and definitely not the end-user. I’ve seen the steps and it looks like there are at least two new job roles that have been introduced – a retrofit project manager and a retrofit designer. My questions to the PAS 2035 panel - what on earth are these? Is that just an installer with a different name? Installers have been fitting boilers for all their working careers, what has ‘suddenly gone wrong’ that you decided more people need to be involved? I think the answer is money. I can imagine a Mr. Burns-esque character wringing his hands as people across the country go without heating for days or weeks at a time. That’s the real issue here. Aside from making the process longer and more complicated for installers (for no logical reason I can see!), it is the homeowner who will be most affected. You can imagine with two more parties involved, the costs for installing a new boiler will go up
August/September 2019 The Installer’s Choice
– and it will be the homeowner who pays for that. What’s more, if you wake up with no heating or hot water you are going to want to have the problem fixed as soon as possible. Not many people decide to replace their boiler unless it does stop working. So, imagine you are distressed in a freezing cold house and yet you have no choice but to wait for three different people to turn up, at most likely different times… before you even know when the boiler will be fitted! This is going to be extremely annoying for any homeowner, and with that average of 6,000 boilers being replaced a day… that’s a lot of cold, angry people. Basically, this is another example of a regulation body that hasn’t approached the industry it will be affecting for any advice. As someone in the heating industry, and a homeowner… I’ll pass on PAS 2035.
05
NEWS
Only 25% of installers attending BEIS workshops feel qualified to fit a heat pump During May, we held a series of installer workshops on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). We were looking to see how installers feel about renewables – particularly on skills and customer awareness. Attendees were asked questions on installer customer demand, installation feasibility, willingness to pay and installer skills and knowledge of renewables such as heat pumps. Here are some key insights: Technical Only 20% of installers felt confident or qualified to fit a heat pump if asked by a customer. However, there was unanimous feeling amongst attendees that if heat pumps were to become a serious alternative to boilers then national training courses would be essential. And if there was a major
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shift, courses should be free for installers and cover not just heat pumps, but other renewable alternatives. Promotion The installers at the workshops said that householders had next to no awareness of heating alternatives to gas. When asked if they would be able to persuade a homeowner to invest in a heat pump today, there was an overwhelming feeling from attendees that this wouldn’t be possible. A heat pump could be a £3k to £10k increase than replacing a boiler. As most customers are very price driven, they felt a government subsidy would have to be in place for any homeowner to consider making such an investment. Demand One of the biggest pitfalls the installers we spoke to experienced, was that there is very little demand from
homeowners for gas boiler alternatives. In fact, virtually all the installations they had undertook in the last few years were combi-boilers. But when it was explained that gas alternatives were heat pumps, hydrogen gas boilers or a combination of both, there was more confidence with hydrogen in the room. They felt the homeowner would be more accepting of this technology and so thought it would be easier to convert them. What next? From these workshops it became clear that there is still a lot that needs to be done, in terms of training and awareness of heat pumps before they can be considered an alternative heating technology in existing properties. For the homeowner, it is clear that hydrogen could be more suitable and less intrusive! A simple switch, without the huge price increase, will be much more attractive to them – and it will be easier to convince customers of the benefits of changing from natural gas to hydrogen. Rest assured, we will be looking to continue working with BEIS and help research alternative, yet realistic technologies as we look towards decarbonising heating and hot water.
The Installer’s Choice August/September 2019
NEWS
Quality over price
Our Sales and Marketing Director, Steve Lister, looks at ways to successfully sell highquality products to customers, without having to compromise on price Let’s face it: consumers today want quality products no matter what they are purchasing. They also want to win on price. The UK heating industry is no different. Homeowners want quality products that they can trust that are also competitive on price.. Here are some tips that may help you encourage your customers to choose quality over price – from before the house visit through to final negotiations. Know the customer Whatever they are buying, consumers are used to comparing prices, seek brand and quality assurance, and expect warranty, environmental and technical performance factors as well. We are delighted to see
organisations and bodies such as the CCC directly connecting with big heating companies to discuss decarbonisation and saving the planet. Indicative pricing Consider adding a calculator on your website or perhaps indicative costs and include some examples of previous works with the associated costs. This approach will help clearly show the customer what to expect for the money they pay. Promote your recommended boiler online Customers will want to see great reviews from the experts, as well as like-minded consumers. Look to contribute glowing testimonials on your favoured products to popular online comparison and review sites as your customer may likely visit these as part of their research.
August/September 2019 The Installer’s Choice
Bring sales information to every meeting Whatever they are buying, consumers are used to comparing prices, seek brand and quality assurance, and expect warranty, environmental and technical performance factors as well. Promote long-term benefits Like with any product, a higher initial expense can save costs in the future. For a boiler – a higher guarantee tends to come with a higher price. By showing the customer that they will save future costs on repairs and maintenance could convince them to pay that little bit more initially. Finally... Overall, when buying a boiler, it can be forgotten that you are not just paying for the product, but in fact the installer that comes with it. A high-quality, premium boiler should come with a high-quality, premium service, so why not demonstrate that from the start.
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FACEBOOK LIVE
Facebook Live Greenstar 8000 On the 9th of July, we held our first ever Facebook Live session! Thousands of you tuned in to watch our host ‘Barry Bosch’ ask your questions to our panel of experts. Here are some of the highlights! BW:Colin, what was the main criteria for developing the new 8000 range? CS: Good question. The main criteria was really to continue from the success of the CDI Classic – a well-loved product that has been around for 14-odd years. We wanted to keep all of those positive attributes and then improve on the things that did need improvement. For example, placing the PRV at the front, the higher power outputs and the modulation rate. I’d say that was the main focus of the project and hopefully we’ve done a good job. BW: Matthew, as someone who has installed quite a number of Greenstar 8000 boiler, what was your first feeling when you opened the box? MH: Slight nervousness because as Colin has mentioned the CDi Classic was a staple boiler – I’ve fitted around 500 of them, so to jump from the CDi Classic to the 8000 did make me nervous. 08
Panel (L-R) Installers Matt Hughes, Platinum Boiler Installations (MH) Richard Lloyd, RL Heating & Plumbing Ltd (RL) Worcester Bosch Colin Simpson (CS) Sajid Ali (SA) Martyn Bridges (MB) Matt Ledger (ML) Barry Wilson (BW)
However, as soon as I installed one that changed. It helped that the pipe works are exactly the same, but the main thing for me was the interface and how easy it is to set up and commission. BW: Any comments Richard? RL: I’ve been in the industry since 2003 and saw the CDi Classic when it was first brought in. I actually replaced a CDi Classic, one of the first that I fitted, and replaced it with the new Style and it was so easy to
sell because of how it looks. It could go in the kitchen without having to have something built around it – it looked the part! But the familiarity of the inside was very comforting. BW: Thanks guys. I think this is for you Colin, is there going to be any option for multizone controls being the Worcester smart control? CS: Yes. So similar to today we’ve got our Greenstar wiring centre that is compatible with the 8000. We’re just in the process of releasing a second, pretty much identical unit to the Comfort Plus 2RF, which is the programmer room thermostat. So you can have a set of those for a multizone, such as upstairs and downstairs.
The Installer’s Choice August/September 2019
FACEBOOK LIVE
BW: Question from Phillip Bazi, on where the PRV is situated within the appliance, can anybody help? Saj? SA – So the PRV has been moved to the front of the appliance, for ease of access – so it is a big win for the installer! BW: Okay, probably a question for Martyn from Matt Bishop, where did the number 8000 come from? MB: Right Matt, this is a good one. It probably stems back about thirty years. Around then we came out with car analogy for the standard efficiency boilers. So we had back in the early 90’s the CDi boilers – a standard efficiency range of combis. Then we introduced a second version which we called the i and then in the middle we slotted an Si. It worked very well with the current
Greenstar range and meant didn’t have to explain it basically, so we decided to stick with the car analogy. This time though we are using a BMW style. So an 8000 and a 4000 – if you were to ask an end user or an installer, which they would think is the higher featured boiler, they would say 8000. BW: Simple as that! Okay a good question from Joshua Jackson, he asks what is the maximum flue length of the 8000, is it the same as the CDi? CS: No, it’s much better. So if I take the comparison of the 30kW CDi, the max horizontal length with 100ml flue is 9.7 metres. With the 30kW Life or Style, it is a maximum of 17 metres. So it is more than double! That goes
August/September 2019 The Installer’s Choice
across the whole range as well. BW: Brilliant. A question from Matt Jakeman, will the i range follow suit soon with a styled look? MB: Yes, the 8000 won’t stay in isolation as the only one looking like this. The intention is it’ll wash through the entire range and the years progress, so that they all have the same distinctive sort of identity. Thanks to everyone who tuned in to our first ever Facebook Live event. Keep an eye on our social channels for future sessions. We will be looking to discuss hydrogen and the future of heating next time!
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COMMENT
The problem with sensationalism
Martyn Bridges discusses the media’s coverage of no gas 2025, and how it has wider repercussions. I’ve been speaking to a lot of installers recently some of them have customers who actually think that they won’t be able to purchase a gas boiler after 2025. With the average boiler lasting for 15 years, this could become more and more common as the years go by. But why do people think that? Yes, the Chancellor announced a ban on gas boilers in 2025, but this is only for new build homes – explicitly not existing properties. The issue is that, like many big stories, the media have sensationally spun, (or if I’m being kind, misunderstood), the Spring Statement, with the aim to grab the reader’s attention. The subsequent consequence is confusion and worry. For example, the Daily Mail’s headline was ‘Gas boilers banned!’ – reading that, there is 10
no indication that the ban is solely for new build homes. Something that’s happened before – back in 2018 there was a story going around that ‘Log Burners are banned’ when in fact, the story was about damp logs. There are serious repercussions for this sort of sensationalist journalism. Homeowners may decide to choose an alternative heating source, such as a heat pump, over a gas boiler – just because they believe they will have to get rid of a boiler in a few years. If the house in question isn’t suited for this – say it isn’t insulated properly – then the cost to heat their homes during winter could increase exponentially. With the UK’s commitment to Net Zero now confirmed, every house now has a responsibility to be as efficient as possible. If confused homeowners start to make the wrong decisions for their heating because of the
misrepresentation or simply sensational headlines then the UK will never reach that target, by 2050 or beyond!. But how do we counteract this? When you are speaking to customers who are worried or confused about the “ban”, come prepared with the following facts:
✔ Gas boilers will be replaced with low-carbon heating systems in new build homes ✔ The only new build homes that will be affected by the “ban” are those built after 2025 ✔ Existing properties are not affected are still allowed to have gas boilers installed for the foreseeable future As long as the customer comes to realise that they can in fact still have a new gas boiler installed in their home – then hopefully, the truth will prevail against clickbait sensationalism..
The Installer’s Choice August/September 2019
COMMENT
Top tips from interior designer Sophie Robinson We met with interior designer Sophie Robinson and had the introduced her to our Greenstar 8000 Lifestyle range. Here are some key things to mention to your design-savvy customers when selling our new boiler, according to Sophie. A welcome addition to the modern kitchen The Greenstar 8000 Lifestyle range‘s design blends seamlessly with your modern kitchen. Kitchens are the heart of the home: we don’t just cook in the kitchen. We gravitate to the kitchen to meet, chat, and entertain friends and family. So the fact the boiler can now be on display and not boxed away is great news!
Saves valuable space Boilers are often in the kitchen or utility room and boxing them in takes up precious space. The range can be fitted to the wall and become an attraction not a eyesore. Saves money and time It’s time-consuming and expensive to come up with stylish and subtle boxing-in solutions for your boiler, particularly as they are often in an awkward space. With the 8000 Lifestyle range you don’t need to worry about hiding it away - you can spend that money on selecting some lush new home décor instead!
August/September 2019 The Installer’s Choice
Black is back! It shouldn’t, but it feels truly revolutionary to have a boiler available in a colour other than white! Coloured kitchens are the next big interiors design trend and it’s great to have the Style boiler providing a different option when planning your look. Function and aesthetics combined Just as we’ve moved from the 1980s brick of a phone to the functional but sleek design everyone has in their pocket today, this innovation from Worcester Bosch has been identified as a winning combination set to transform the heating industry.
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WAYNE BETTESS
Benefits of 8000 Style Control Display:
✔Pioneering touchscreen display panel ✔Intuitive menu structure ✔Full text descriptions allows you and your customer to know the exact status of the boiler ✔Easily view, set and change the time and temperature
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The Installer’s Choice August/September 2019
WAYNE BETTESS
Hats to Heating We recently spoke to Wayne Bettess, Founder of Off the Tools, on the support he received from his family when he decided to make a change from generations of working in the millinery trade making hats, and how his Father became his apprentice… What inspired you to become an installer? If I’m perfectly honest, I could have done better at school. I was easily distracted in the classroom and just wanted to keep busy. That’s probably the reason my school suggested I enrol on a plumbing course. From day one, my family and especially my grandad supported my aim to become a qualified installer. I visited him every Sunday and he would always say ‘Keep working hard’. At the time, you had to be registered through CORGI, and for two and a half years he would say ‘‘You’re going to show me that card one day.’ It was the best feeling when I showed him my orange CORGI badge, he was proud as punch.
was earning a good wage and the obvious opportunities that were available in the trade. So, we got talking and had a few discussions, and he decided he was young enough to learn a new skill and invest in learning the trade. So, for six months he worked with me for the housing association I worked for. In total it took him 8 months from being made redundant to becoming a fully qualified gas engineer. What a grafter! A little after that, I took the plunge and set up my own business. Dad came to work with me for a while before starting up his own business. So now we both run independent firms! It’s an amazing trajectory for him, going from being made redundant, to launching his own business in a new trade. How has becoming a trained installer helped him? Ah, unbelievably. He literally had spent his life in the same room,
earning a flat wage, which compared to what gas engineers can earn wasn’t great. To be honest things were tight financially, and he was working long days. Nowadays he’s like a different man. He is healthier, happier and wealthier! It has literally transformed his quality of life. What would you say to young people who are looking at alternatives to university, and considering becoming an apprentice? Getting any trade behind you is a no-brainer. The skills that you will learn will be with you for life, there will always be opportunity to earn money once you’ve got that skillset behind you. So, I would strongly advise looking at the trades industry as a whole and find something that you can enjoy doing, whether carpentry, plumbing, gas engineer or electrical. I still believe having a trade between the ages of 16 to 18 is just so good for general life!
When did your father start working with you, and why? My Dad was made redundant from the hat factory and at just 44, he had a lot of work left in him. He had seen how much I enjoyed what I was doing, how I August/September 2019 The Installer’s Choice
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Technical Q&A Nick Fothergill and our team of technical support advisors answer some of the the questions we have received so far on the Greenstar 8000 Lifestyle range. A little bit on Nick Nick Fothergill first joined us in 2008 as a Technical Sales Manager. Since then he has worked as part of our Specification Operations team before becoming Regional Sales Manager in 2015. He then became our National Training Manager in June 2016, overseeing our £3.5m expansion of our flagship Training Academy which opened last year. Now Nick has swapped roles with Ewan Sutherland becoming our new Engineering Services Manager
Q
I am going to fit the 30kW 8000 life appliance in my customers house, I have heard that the flue can run 17,000mm in 100mm diameter flue, surely that’s not right that’s double the length of the 29CDi Classic I normally fit? What are the guarantee lengths for the Greenstar 8000 Lifestyle range?
A
That is correct, the more efficient design of the heatcell in the 8000 series of appliances allows for a much greater modulation range (1/10 on the 30kW) and increased flue lengths. This allows a much longer flue lengths on both the 100mm diameter flue and the 125mm diameter flue.
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Q
I am fitting an 8000 Life in a customer’s house, and were wondering if I can utilise weather compensation with this boiler to comply with boiler + and operate the heating more efficiently?
A
Yes, you can, just as the CDI appliance there is a vertical Pre piping kit available (7 716 192 607). The pipework is pre-bent and the pipes have swaged-ends for ease of soldering. This should save you approx. 30mins on installation time.
Q
My customers existing system uses solar panels on the roof to heat a hot water cylinder. They want to upgrade their boiler to a new 8000
combi boiler; can I connect the DHW feed from the solar cylinder to the cold feed of the boiler, effectively preheating the water before it goes into the boiler. I have heard you can do this on the Cdi compact boilers.
A
It is possible to use preheated hot water on the new 8000 appliance; you will need to use the DHW pre heat accessory this will allow the boiler to function as part of a pre-heated domestic hot water system. You will need to connect the pre heat sensor to the TW1 connection on the Pcb and clip the sensor to the cold water pipe. This will allow the boiler to monitor the incoming cold feed temperature and adjust
The Installer’s Choice August/September 2019
the boilers output based on this reading. The DHW temperature on the boiler should be set to match the temperature setting on the cylinder. i.e. 60. °C (Note: stored pre-heated domestic hot water must be heated to a minimum of 60. °C at least once a day for one hour (Legionella protection).)
Q
I have noticed that when I have commissioned the 30kW boiler goes down to 10% in minimum service mode and when I was commissioning the 35kW its showed 14% is this correct.
Q
I am fitting an 8000 Life in a customer’s house, and were wondering if I can utilise weather compensation with this boiler to comply with boiler + and operate the heating more efficiently?
A
Yes there is, both the 8000 style and life variants are able to use the outdoor weather sensor kit (7 716 192 764) and have in build weather compensation. You will need to connect the weather sensor to the T1 connection on the Pcb and activate weather compensation via the menu.
T1 Connection
A
This is correct; the figure shown in minimum service mode is a representation of the kW output of the appliance as a percentage. The 30kW can modulate down to 3.0kW and will show 10% on minimum where the 35kW can modulate down to 5.1kW and will show 14%
Dedicated 8000 Lifestyle Technical Support (Pre & Post Sales) To support the new appliance we have a dedicated technical helpline; this enables you to get expert help quickly from our specially trained 8000 Lifestyle technical support team. Call us on 0330 123 0664
August/September 2019 The Installer’s Choice
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INSTALLER’S VOICE
Installer’s Voice We sat down with a panel of installers to discuss the Government’s recent commitment to Net Zero by 2050. Discussing how, if at all, it could be possible and what alternatives to gas boilers are out there. What do you think about the Government’s recent commitment to Net Zero? Do you think it is even achievable? NS: I can’t see it being achieved. Not by 2050 LS: They can do it in new builds, but there is still the existing housing stock out there… there’s no chance. WB: I don’t think it is achievable unless some new technology comes around. NS: Even then it’s how are they going to do it. Power stations? Air source? Ground Source? LS: Even electric heating has got CO2 from where the electricity is produced. WB: Unless they can produce electricity using renewables, with wind and solar things like that. But if everybody used electricity for their heating there is no way you can generate enough of it. MB: The simple option is zero VAT on anything that saves energy. I don’t understand why we’re paying 16
20% VAT on it, doesn’t make any sense to me at all. LS: I think the overall answer is it’s optimistic. The whole industry has got to adapt. Are your customers aware of any alternatives to gas-fired boilers for heating? PH: I think some of them do, but you are talking a lot more money normally than just changing a gas boiler over. As soon as you say how much a heat pump is going to be if it is an existing house, it puts them off. MB: There is too much legislation, too many cogs turning all at once. WB: If you’ve got main gas you just don’t consider anything else. MB: I get a lot of off grid people, those on oil, asking me how much heat pumps are, but I don’t know enough information about it. I can’t apply for a grant either. If you had to choose between a heat pump, a hybrid heating system or a hydrogen gas-fired
Panel: Clockwise from top left Lincoln Smith, Custom Heating (LS) Martin Broer, M Broer Heating (MB) Nigel Surtess, J Shipley & Co Heating (NS) Wayne Bell, Gas Monster Ltd (WB) Paul Harper, Harpers Heating & Plumbing Ltd (PH)
boiler, which would you choose? LS: Hydrogen. Think of the engineers in your business, with alternatives such as air source heat pumps there is going to be different training qualifications. I imagine hydrogen is going to be very similar with gas. MB: I like the idea of a hybrid system personally. NS: It’s just the price of it though. MB: If someone could make an affordable version of that, even if it was just one unit with some form of electricity heating in there, with gas as a back-up. I’m just thinking practicality when retrofitting an old house. Would you feel it worthwhile to be trained in renewable heating systems? PH: I think it would be. WB: The biggest problem I think is things like solar thermal, it’s another qualification. Another thing you have got to train for, another investment. Then if the
The Installer’s Choice August/September 2019
INSTALLER’S VOICE
Government decides to pull the plug on it, on the grants and on the funding, then nobody wants it anymore. You spend all that money getting trained and then it’s not something anybody wants. LS: It could do with a bigger commitment from the Government. Such as you’ll get this work guaranteed so businesses can invest in training. NS: What if they change their mind, or another government comes in. It all changes then. MB: It’s going to be a massive generational change though isn’t it? It’s not going to be us, it’s going to be the young apprentices today who will be telling their future apprentices. It’s so long away, that when we’re older we’re not going to want to change. Do you feel you would be able to convert your customer from a boiler to a heat pump? MB: If there was zero VAT on it, and there was some incentive for them to do so then I would imagine some customers would. PH: But if the house hasn’t got the right insulation then it’s not going to work.
WB: The running costs as well, it wouldn’t be a benefit for them. What should be in place to help customers choose for potentially more expensive, but more efficient installations? NS: Government grants. Having VAT knocked off. LS: I think as an installer you need to demonstrate the cost. If you can show the customer that although they are paying £10,000 more, they will be saving this much in the future. An app or system where you can get that across to the customer would be key. NS: Even fitting a new condensing boiler for example. If you change a
August/September 2019 The Installer’s Choice
60% efficiency boiler with a 90%, the customer thinks they are going to save 30% on their bills, which just isn’t going to happen. PH: The price has gone up in the meantime, in a couple of months after fitting it. LS: It’s the selling that is important. If the installer can’t get the message across eloquently people aren’t going to take on the advice and not understand it. NS: If you can get the installers confident, then they will sound confident when they are actually talking to the person who they are selling to. Give them the tools to sell it then maybe the customer will be convinced. 17
INSTALLER SPOTLIGHT
Installer
Spotlight What’s your initial thoughts on the new 8000 Style? Visually I thought it looked brilliant. It was very modern but at the same time quite contemporary. Also, from an installer point of view, as soon as you open it up, I think it ticks all the right boxes. From the new position of the pressure relief valve, to the smooth edges I think a lot of thought for the installer has gone into the new boiler. How easy was it to sell to the customer? What attracted them to it? I had marketing material on the new boiler that I was able to show my customer and he liked the fresher look. His boiler was on show, so the fact it looked very modern definitely helped. I also went into detail about the updated equipment that was fitted in the new model. The new intelligent filling system that keeps the pressure topped up was also a good selling point. Once I talked him through the benefits he was over the moon and decided he wanted to go with the Greenstar 8000 Style” How easy was it to install? It was very easy. The old boiler was a CDi Classic, so it had the same fixing points, I didn’t even
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have to get a drill out which was nice! I didn’t have to change the pipework, I could have just undone the nuts on the back and put the new boiler on and it would have been fine. I did change some of the piping but only because this was actually the first Worcester Bosch boiler I ever fitted 13 years ago, so I wanted to make sure it looked neat. It was a bit sentimental to be fair! Do you feel there is a market for a design led, black or white boiler? Definitely so. I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with an ordinary boiler, however it is a wide expanse of metal. The new 8000 Style has a sophistication to it though. The silver edges, the rounded corners and that iPod style touch panel in the middle all give it a modern, fresh look. It ticks all those boxes, as well as being contemporary so it doesn’t look out of place in a dated kitchen. Which of the new improvements, behind the front cover, impressed you the most? How spacious it was, everything was easy to get to. The idea of the condensate trap being able to just slide out forwards and
Richard Lloyd from Cannock-based RL Heating & Plumbing Ltd, recently installed his very first Greenstar 8000 Style. It was a very sentimental experience for Richard as the boiler he replaced was actually the first ever Worcester Bosch boiler he installed 13 years ago. We caught up with Richard to see what he thought of the new range and the many innovative changes that have been made since all that time ago. the PRV being at the front is a big plus. When you open the combustion chamber you can easily get to the gas valve without having to slide your fingers down the side of the boiler to try get your hose on it to do a test. Also, you’ve only got one screw to take all the panels off and only one to take the combustion chamber off so it is easily accessible anyway.
The Installer’s Choice August/September 2019
INSTALLER SPOTLIGHT
How did you find using the control display? I thought it was pretty good. The touch was sensitive enough so you could easily get it do what you wanted. It is a massive difference to the old CDi Classic because that had very simple functions. In the end it is like having a computer inside the boiler, which once you get used to you can find the functions easily and they are simple to use.
When it came to commissioning, any new features impress you? The display features were very impressive. For example, you can run the hot tap and it will tell you the flow rate as well as the temperature. There are a lot of functions on there for commissioning that really help you fill out the benchmark book without having to get different devices out to measure the various parts. The screen does that all for you!
August/September 2019 The Installer’s Choice
How likely are you to keep fitting the 8000 Style? Extremely likely! I’ve already spoken to more customers and have encouraged them to replace their boilers with the Greenstar 8000 Style. Have you recently installed a Worcester Bosch boiler and want to shout about it? Email your story to marketing. mailbox@uk.bosch.com with subject line ‘Installer Spotlight’ for a chance to feature in Installer’s Choice!
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FUTURE ARTICLES
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The Installer’s Choice August/September 2019
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COMPETITION
Win With Worcester Bobby the Boiler is officially 18 years old, can you believe that? He certainly celebrated in style!
Worcester
B osch Prof
essional
In honour of Bobby’s big birthday, this issue we’re looking for the best caption that describes what Bobby is up to here! The funniest caption will be in with the chance of winning a...
GREENSTAR 8000 STYLE BOILER! Like d by Bo
bby the Bo
iler, Wor
cester the Cat and 1. Please send 5k others your entr y to marketing .mailbox@ uk.bosch.c with your na om, me and con tact numbe by 31st Oc r, tober 2019 . Subject line : Installer’s Choice Au gust/Septe competitio mber n
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The Installer’s The Installer’s Choice Choice August/September July/August 2019
KEEP IN TOUCH
Welcome to the Team We’re delighted to introduce you to the new members of our sales team. If you are in their area, please drop them a line to say hi!
Steven Thorndyke Technical Area Sales Manager 07973 898520 Steven.Thorndyke@uk.bosch.com DN, HU, LN
Michael Nolan Technical Area Sales Manager & Service +353 (0)7973 898520 Michael.Nolan@uk.bosch.com SOUTHERN IRELAND
Anthony Luque Technical Area Sales Manager 07516 138133 Anthony.Luque@uk.bosch.com BH, DT, GY, JE, SO
Lee Welch Technical Area Sales Manager 07516 138124 Lee.Welch@uk.bosch.com OX, SN, SP
Oliver Lomas Technical Area Sales Manager 07790 489508 Oliver.Lomas@uk.bosch.com AL, HA, N, NW, W, WC, WD
Gavin Thomas Technical Area Sales Manager 07790 489979 Gavin.Thomas@uk.bosch.com HR, LD, NP, SY
To find your local Technical Sales Manager, visit worcester-bosch.co.uk/professional and scroll to the bottom of the page.
July/August 2019 The August/September 2019 Installer’s The Installer’s Choice Choice
THE INSTALLER’S
CHOICE SHARE YOUR LIFESTYLE INSTALLS USING #BeastOfTheMonth to be in with a chance of winning an 8000 Style boiler.