2012 looks to be an interesting year for the plumbing and heating industry with both the Green Deal and the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive due to come into force. What either of them will look like in practice is not yet clear, but what we do know is that the intention is to drive the renewables agenda forward.

The Government has to meet the legally binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of at least 34% (from 1990 levels) by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050. This could be tough to achieve as the economy has an uncertain future and this will no doubt have a big impact on how much (or how little) is done to meet the targets.

On the bright side, according to The Carbon Plan, published by the Government in December 2011, emissions created by heating have already fallen by a quarter since 1990. This has been achieved through insulating cavity walls and lofts and the installation of efficient condensing boilers. However, by 2030, the Government would like to see at least half of the heat used in our buildings to come from low carbon technologies such as air- or ground-source heat pumps.

So, is this a fantastic opportunity for plumbing and heating installers to learn new skills, or are some installers going to struggle to keep up-to-date with the new technologies coming into the market and the legislation that will govern them?

The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) aims to help its members bypassing on advice and information including that generated by and disseminated through its newly formed Renewable Energy Group (REG), lead by Keith Westcott.

John Griggs, Principal Science Officer (shown right), attended the first meeting of the group on 10th January in Birmingham.

“It was refreshing to see such a large and diverse group of interested parties discussing the fundamental issues of training, the role of Government and experiences of using the technologies in the UK. It was clear that guidance on design and installation, and the appropriate qualifications, were critical and there was a strong call for Government to help fund the training of personnel and not just provide grants to end users.”

www.ciphe.org.uk