Heat Pumps in the UK - An Introduction

Retrofitting heat pumps or installing heat pumps in new builds is a hot topic. Here Nathan chats with Ken Bone from https://www.renewable-heat.co.uk, Paul from Highland Plumbing & Heating Ltd ( https://t.co/aBzV2fwgCR?amp=1) and father and son team James and Ashley from http://h2o-plumbingandheating.co.uk.

All have some experience with heat pumps and the episode is to give listeners a general idea of what they are and how they work. More episodes will be coming soon.

Nathan, who is a speaker and workshop host at https://lowcarbonhomes.uk engages often with the Heat Pump Association and the Ground Source Heat Pump Association who also are actively involved with Low Carbon Homes.

Heat Pumps are an exciting technology but as Nathan inculcates: it does not matter how efficient a heat source is (whether it is a methane, hydrogen or oil boiler - or even a heat pump) the heating system has to be efficient - otherwise there is no efficiency. Unfortunately in the UK many systems are not efficient and experience corrosion problems as well as incorrectly sized pipework. 

Nathan recently spoke about the poor state of our heating systems at the Low Carbon Homes event in Manchester where the local authority have written into law their net zero target of 2038.

One of the topics discussed is how training within the heating industry could be better. Nathan is one of the leading experts in the UK heating industry reguarding andragogy - adult learning - and as he inculcates the training is currently inadequate. 

A lot of training modules are summative assessment only with no formative assessment provision. Nathan works closely with industry and manufactures to help them develop better methods and calls it the BetaTeach method. Simply put Nathan hopes to inspire manufactures to place quality training as their number one PR/marketing device.

It's envisaged that manufactures will compete to provide the best training provision and resources. This perpetual system can then start to produce better engineers who are able to constantly learn - in turn, benefiting customers and the environment