Joe Sharpe – Head of Content at Installer – shares the key feedback from the Great Debates at InstallerSHOW 2022
There’s a huge range of innovations that are ready NOW to help the UK achieve its net zero targets. Plus there’s an experienced and willing workforce of installers ready to implement them, they’re just waiting for a clear direction.
That was the main takeaway from the biggest ever InstallerSHOW, which featured over 350 exhibitors and thousands of visitors.
The products and engineers to transform how we power our homes and buildings met at the NEC, and government policy was high on the agenda.
During the three days, Installer hosted a packed schedule of Great Debates on the InstallerPLAZA sponsored by Glow-worm.
Key talking points included hydrogen, heat pumps, heat loss calculations, balancing valves, smart homes, water conservation and more.
What was clear from these discussions was that the industry is ready to transform, but better guidance and incentives are needed from government.
And, as installer Fraser Hoehle from NRG Scotland pointed out, it’s very hard for customers to make sustainable decisions when faced with spiralling fuel costs, energy bills and rampant price rises. It’s a tough time for installers and their customers right now.
A lot of headlines are made with the future of heat, and the three Hs, Hydrogen, Heat pumps and Heat Networks, but there are lots of solutions that installers can implement NOW.
The new changes to the Building Regs look to address this (as we discussed last month), but should government focus on smaller, cheaper wins, as well as big incentives like the Boiler Upgrade scheme?
As Richard Burrows from Mid Wales Plumbing and Heating Supplies suggested, if every building in the UK got a payment of £200 to complete a heat loss calculation, everyone would know how they could improve the efficiency of that property. Is that better than the one-off energy rebate payments that are barely papering over the cracks?
Similarly, if every building was incentivised to install TRVs and heating controls in a properly balanced system, people would see an immediate lowering in their bills and their carbon emissions.
Unfortunately, as I write this, Boris Johnson’s Conservative government is predictably in the midst of yet another scandal, and the Health Secretary and Chancellor have left their posts.
That means another reshuffle, and someone new will be in charge of the purse strings as we face a joint climate crisis and cost of living crisis.
If the government is serious about reaching its legally binding carbon targets, we need to act now. The industry is ready but are the people at the top?
I certainly hope so because time is running out and it will affect every single one of us.
Top stories on Installeronline.co.uk in June
- Building Regs changes: What installers need to know
- Key changes to water treatment requirements in new Part L
- Hydrogen boilers are ready, “we just need the infrastructure to be in place”
- Can the Boiler Upgrade Scheme achieve affordable green heating?
- How to improve existing heating systems – Drayton installer forum
