NEWS & APPOINTMENTS
National Retrofit Conference highlights pressing need for skilled workforce
Appointments
Lochinvar promotes Liam Elmore to general manager
Liam Elmore has been appointed as general manager of the low carbon heating and hot water equipment manufacturer Lochinvar.
He joined the Banbury-based company as UK sales manager in 2014 following a two-decade career working with other well-known manufacturers of heating and hot water related products. He was subsequently promoted to sales director in 2018. Liam was also elected vice-chair of ICOM’s Commercial Heating Group in 2022. ICOM is the Industrial and Commercial Heating Equipment Association and has been representing and promoting the interests of the non-domestic heating sector since 1933.
The pressing need for a skilled retrofit workforce was once again the topic of much industry debate at the UK’s inaugural National Retrofit Conference, which took place at London’s ExCeL last week. Curated by The Retrofit Academy, the three-day Conference saw policymakers, industry leaders and other interested parties share their views on the best retrofit practice that will accelerate progress toward a more sustainable future. Day one of the Conference was focused on retrofit policy, programmes and leadership with keynote speakers such as Lord Martin Callanan, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero. Discussing the Government’s plans to help decarbonise 27 million homes,Lore Callanan and the wider panel outlined how the industry can support the Government’s plans to retrofit homes at scale. The Retrofit Academy also launched a proposed Retrofit Workforce Roadmap to highlight specifically how the business intends to train and upskill thousands of individuals to join the retrofit revolution within the next five years. This year, The Retrofit Academy will be opening a consultation with local government and industry professionals with the aim of agreeing a collaborative roadmap geared towards achieving this goal. David Pierpoint, chief executive of The Retrofit Academy said: “The UK’s very first National
Retrofit Conference was a huge success. During the three-day event, multiple industries were able to come together and discuss ways that we can tackle the challenges we face, all the way from MPs to those on the ground conducting the work. In a conference arena that was twice the size of last year, and with the apparent lack of empty seats, it was evident that the industry is really engaging with retrofit and the challenge at hand. Our team was able to have multiple meaningful conversations with interested individuals looking to upskill into retrofit and help become part of the solution, especially those looking to become retrofit designers.
“As a partner to the event, we were able to shine the light on vital topics such as tackling the skills gap through our Retrofit Workforce Roadmap and how we are striving to qualify competent professionals to complete projects to the PAS 2035 standard. At the 2025 National Retrofit Conference, it will be amazing to measure the progress made and see how far we have come in achieving net zero.”
He has overseen considerable sales growth during his decade at Lochinvar and has been instrumental in the company’s transition towards low carbon technologies. Lochinvar said this promotion recognised his contribution to the company and said it was a natural next step. As part of his role, he will also retain his overall responsibility for sales and customer relationships. “I am absolutely delighted to have been recognised in this way and to be trusted with the additional responsibility of driving the company forward,” he said. “It is an exciting and challenging time for the heating and hot water sector as more renewable and low carbon solutions gain traction and we face ever more stringent legislation. “We are excited by the opportunities and up for the challenges,” he added. “We will have a renewed focus on customers this year with our excellent service team, headed by Will Griffiths, taking centre stage. We have also expanded our product offering to make sure we can satisfy the growing range of requirements in our fast-moving market.”
Stacey Lucas announced as new President of BCIA
The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) has announced Stacey Lucas, commercial and marketing director at Sontay, as its new President. Stacey takes over from Graeme Rees who has held the role for the past two years, with Jen Vickers stepping into the role of Vice-President.
Stacey has been working in the building controls and BEMS sector for over 20 years, starting her career at Sontay in 2001 as a Customer Service Advisor. As she has worked her way up through the ranks Stacey has built long lasting relationships with many of Sontay’s customers and made a real impact on the industry. The knowledge and insight learned over the years has
given Stacey a brilliant knowledge base and high level of technical understanding of the building controls sector which has already served her well in position as Vice-President, a role she took on in November 2022.
Commenting on her appointment Stacey said: “It is a real honour to be taking over
166% increase in qualified heat pump installers
In what demonstrates a growing interest in the sector, the number of individuals who have completed training to become qualified heat pump installers has seen an impressive increase of 166% from just under 3,000 in 2022 to close to 8,000 in 2023. This increase brings the total number of heat pump installers qualified in the last two years to just shy of 11,000 individuals.
Whilst the data can’t identify whether the qualified individuals are currently working within the sector, the exponential growth highlights the growing interest and investment in heat pumps within the UK and is a testament to the work of the training providers, heating engineers and manufacturers in growing the supply chain, with support from Government grants. According to the Heat Pump Association’s projections, the UK needs the equivalent of 33,700 full time employed heat pump installers to support the transition to clean heating systems in line with Government ambitions, and these figures show good progress is being made.
Many of these 11,000 individuals will have received grants from various Government Schemes including the Home Decarbonisation Skills Training Competition, skills bootcamps and the current Heat Training Grant. With the Heat Training Grant able to support around 6,000 additional heat pump trainees in England over the next 13 months, we expect this upward trend to continue in 2024. Commenting on the increase, Minister for Affordability and Skills Amanda Solloway said:
“We’ve seen a surge of heat pump applications since we increased support grants by 50 per cent, making our scheme one of the most generous in Europe. We now want to create an army of experts that will be the heartbeat of this heat pump rollout – it’s fantastic to see thousands joining this new skilled workforce.”
4 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER APRIL 2024
the role of BCIA President from Graeme Rees who has done a fantastic job in increasing member engagement and setting us onto a clear path as an organisation carrying recognition, respect and influence in the building controls industry. Over the next two years I aim to continue the good work carried out by my predecessors and I am relishing the opportunity.”
Swedish heat pump company names new UK chief
Philip Ord, who has extensive commercial experience in the heating and cooling industry, has been appointed chief executive for Qvantum’s UK operations. There is an increasing need for modern, connected, and modular low-carbon heating and cooling systems in the UK and throughout Europe. Phil will, with his experience in marketing and sales at Mitsubishi Electric, lead the way to enable Qvantum to be a secure energy partner for new developments and retrofitting projects. Qvantum provides not only traditional heat pumps but makes the heat pumps a part of a bigger system. A heat pump from Qvantum new modular platform will in the future be able to help balance the local electricity grid. “Being part of a company as forward-leaning as Qvantum makes me incredibly excited, stated Ord. “To use the heat pumps as thermal batteries as Qvantum does—both individually and in groups—is, to me, something revolutionary. Who does not want to be part of such a journey?”
Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
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