Samsung Climate Solutions has donated heating technology to further and higher education provider, Colchester Institute, as it launches a new £250k Net Zero and Renewables Training Centre.
The converted 220m² ground floor space that was formerly an exam hall, will house several emerging technologies that installers and engineers will be able to learn how to install, including air and ground source heat pumps, solar PV, solar thermal, hybrid systems, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging points.
Heating company Gasway Services, former students of Colchester Institute themselves helped specify the workshop and installed the technologies. Equipment from Samsung Climate Solutions included the recently launched EHS Mono R290 Heat Pump with Integrated Pump which is equipped with Propane (R290), a natural refrigerant with a lower global warming potential (GWP).
Samsung Climate Solutions’ new all-in-one integrated EHS ClimateHub and the compact EHS Hydro Unit, solutions for heating and domestic hot water for residential homes, have also been donated for use at the college alongside Samsung’s SmartThings. The SmartThings App is used to monitor and manage energy usage in real time in the palm of the user’s hand.
Scott Young, national training manager at Samsung Climate Solutions, said: “When Colchester Institute reached out to us, we couldn’t help but be a part of the project. Upskilling the industry is critical to both inspiring the next generation of installers and helping those already in the industry learn how to effectively install new technologies, such as heat pumps, which are becoming more common place.
“Installers recognise this and demand for such skills is increasing. We’ve seen this at our own training centre in Chertsey where we had a 340% increase in installers being trained from 2022 to 2023. So it is vital to ensure that there are as many opportunities as possible for people to gain skills in these technologies and feel confident both to install them and advise customers accordingly.”
