Andy Smith, National Sales Manager of Grant UK, looks at how to move your business towards low carbon installations, such as heat pumps.
Plumbing and heating engineers can transform and potentially future proof their business by embracing and offering renewable heating systems to homeowners. In the latest public attitudes research from the Department for Energy Security and Net-Zero (formerly BEIS) in 2022, awareness among the public of air source heat pumps has reached 71% and legislation, such as the Building Regulations, is encouraging more installations of low carbon heating technologies.
Many installers are now on the journey towards incorporating air source heat pumps into their business offering and Grant UK has witnessed this first hand training engineers and supporting them with installing low carbon heating systems. Lewis Gould Plumbing & Heating, based in Aberhonddu, Powys, is one such company. Its transformation towards installing low carbon heating involved training and on-site support from Grant UK, and the installer’s decision to move into renewables has paid off.
Like many plumbing and heating businesses, the company, which was established in 2009 by Lewis after he had been working for four years as a local installer, initially focused on oil and gas work and bathroom installations. It is OFTEC registered and works in the surrounding areas of Aberhonddu.
Lewis has known John Morris, Grant UK’s Regional Sales Manager for the West, for quite some time and due to oil work being a major part of their business, Lewis had worked closely with Grant boilers and installed many of the Vortex models over the years.
Hands on training
Some time ago, John had introduced Lewis to Grant’s first air source heat pump and he completed their product training course straightaway. It proved to be a good base of knowledge and with changes in the market and the growing demand for renewable heating over the past few years, Lewis and one of his colleagues attended the latest Grant Aerona³ Air Source Heat Pump product training course in June 2022, at Grant UK’s Training Academy in Wiltshire.
Lewis and his colleague found the two-day course very informative, with plenty of hands-on opportunities to work on the Aerona³ unit, Grant UK’s latest generation of heat pump. The course tutor was knowledgeable and assisted with all questions, allowing them to feel confident about installing and working with air source heat pumps.
Barn conversion
Lewis’s first heat pump installation was a barn conversion in Brecon, which required a complete heating system to be specified and installed. The local Area Sales Manager from Grant UK, Stuart Thompson, carried out the site survey at the beginning of the project. Grant UK’s in-house Design Team then specified the system and supplied the list of products needed for the project.
The installation included an Aerona³ 10kW air source heat pump, a Quick Recovery 250ltr pre-plumbed hot water cylinder, and a Combined Low Loss Header/Volumiser. The wiring and plumbing diagrams were provided in advance and were simple to follow. The pre-plumbed cylinder was easy to fit, and the low loss header was straightforward to install and helped with the hydraulic separation of the system.
Set-up service
Lewis also opted for the heat pump setup service, which was free following the product training course. Jess York, one of Grant UK’s Field Service Engineers, assisted with the set up and commissioning, giving Lewis peace of mind with his first heat pump installation.
Air source heat pumps are now part of the company’s product offerings, and Lewis is advertising their heat pump installation services locally. The company is a G1 approved installer for Aerona³ air source heat pumps and is listed on the Find an Installer search on Grant UK’s website.
Moving your business towards low carbon heating solutions is achievable and with legislation encouraging the uptake of heat pumps and an increased awareness of low carbon heating among homeowners, now may be the time to start your journey.
