Three years ago, the government announced a plan to ban gas boiler installations from 2025 to improve the environmental standard of housing and buildings across the UK. 85% of homes in the UK are connected to the gas grid, which is non-renewable and partly reliant on volatile international gas markets.
Across the channel, the EU saw a record number of heat pumps installed in 2021 of around two million, 400,000 of which in France alone. Impressive adoption rates have also been seen in other European countries; Norway leads with 1.4 million units, or 604 heat pumps installed for every 1,000 households. Sweden has 427 per 1,000 and Finland has 408 per 1,000.
The UK government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy laid out a target of 600,000 heat pumps installed a year by 2028 to reach its net zero by 2050 targets. This means around 2,000 installations would need to be conducted each day to meet this forecast. Who will do this? A focus on training is needed.
Presently, there is a skills shortage for high quality installations of heat pumps across the UK. Analysis by the Heat Pump Association suggests that at least 50,200 heat pump installers will need to be trained up by 2030. This is a huge increase from the 2,000 qualified heat pump engineers that exist today. However, the training is not difficult, and new courses are being launched. The recent campaign to Electrify Heat has set a target of 25,000 fully qualified installers by 2025.
Phil Hurley, chairman of the Heat Pump Association, says: “This will of course be a huge jump, and it will go unmet without the right supportive frameworks in place to grow the number of installers and improve consumer awareness.
“With the right support and signals from government, the HPA is confident that the heat pump industry is ready and able to deliver this capacity and has been working with other industry bodies to overhaul the route to becoming a heat pump installer,” Hurley says. “Within our own membership alone, there are over 22 training centres, providing the ability to train over 7,000 installers per year. However, the current training route needs to be overhauled so that it is more straightforward and less bureaucratic.”
TRAINING
“This skills gap is the reason why companies like Viessmann are stepping in to provide support,” observes technical director of the heat pump manufacturer, Christian Engelke. “We have registered as an MCS (microgeneration certification scheme) installer, which means that Viessmann would take on the responsibility, and provide the necessary support to the actions of non-MCS-accredited installers.”
The scheme, named ‘Viessmann Access’, is open to all Viessmann trained installers wishing to fit air source heat pumps (ASHPs). MCS accreditation involves in-depth assessment; installers are required to have certain procedures in place, evidence of their credit history and pay to renew their membership every year. Most micro-businesses are not equipped to do this – it takes up time and resources many simply do not have. Viessmann Access will allow non MCS-accredited installers to pitch for the same work as MCS installers at no cost to themselves.
“Training needs has been a discussion point in the industry for 10 years,” Engelke continues. “As an organisation, we normally do product training, but what the market needs is general heating system training or an apprenticeship scheme.” He states that it might include: how to implement a heat pump (or even better, any type of heat generator) into an existing heating system; how to design a heat pump system into a new build; what do you need to do with regards to pipe calculations; pipe sizing; underfloor heating versus radiators; locations; noise levels; satisfying aesthetics with the end user.
Last summer, the HPA launched a training course to equip the heating industry with the skills required to deliver low carbon technologies to UK households. Its two-day heat pump foundation course provides an overview of heat pumps in addition to installation guidelines, commissioning and servicing, and end user training. Following this, installers can gain an understanding of both air source and ground source heat pumps, including hybrids, through a one-day individual heat pump technology course, with plans to extend to other heat pump technologies.
Engelke warns: “The concern I have is there will be different training modules being created by different companies. There should really be an agreed training module for each aspect that all the training organisations should use.”
This is a concern shared by Hurley: “We must make sure that we are all talking the same language. With the help of the government, the HPA is ready to ensure that heating installers are on board so that households across the country can enjoy the benefits of low-carbon heating. With all hands to the pump, it’s a challenge that can be overcome.”
GUIDANCE
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) published guidance authored by consultancy firm Arup and the National House Building Council (NHBC) Foundation on the design, installation, and whole product lifecycle of heat pump systems for multi-unit residential buildings in September 2021. The CIBSE Application Manual, AM16, was written to enable engineers, architects, and contractors to understand how heat pump technology can be best applied on new-build and retrofit applications in high density housing, including apartment blocks, student housing and care homes.
AM16 explains the importance of understanding a building’s demands and requirements before selecting the correct configuration of heat pump, and expands on the practical areas of hydraulic arrangements for heat pumps and optimising the controls. In addition, it includes information on relative capital, energy, and maintenance costs.
Richard Smith, head of standards, innovation and research at NHBC says: “As the house building industry transitions to low-carbon heat sources, it is essential that there is practical guidance for designers, installers and building operators to ensure these building systems operate reliably, sustainably and affordably.”
CIBSE is now also working with Arup and a cross-industry steering group on a contract awarded by BEIS to produce new guidance on the installation of heat pumps in larger non-residential buildings. The project aims to produce guidance (AM17) for both new and retrofit settings that contributes to deliver high quality design, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of heat pump systems, CIBSE says.
With regards to MCS standards for the design and installation of heat pumps, Smith says: “Previously these were combined into one document, however from April 2022 there will be two documents – one covering design and the other installation – allowing separate companies to specialise in different aspects of the work.
“Further down the line, expertise will also be required in the decommissioning of heat pumps and the reclamation/recycling of the refrigerants,” he adds - see also www.is.gd/oluxux.