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New survey reveals true impact of cost of living on plumbing industry
Sealing
Standards and regulations state that all ductwork systems should be designed to minimise the resistance to airflow, and be formed from compatible components. Rigid ducting is preferable to flexible, but where the latter is used, it should be restricted in length and pulled taught as already mentioned to ensure that the airflow resistance does not prevent the designed ventilation rate from being achieved. The Guidance also states that joints in ductwork and between ductwork and other system components, should be securely fixed and sealed with purpose-designed connections, in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations. In addition, it requires that all joints be durable and airtight. Unsealed connections can result in significant air
leakage, leading to increased energy consumption and noise, due to the units having to work harder to provide adequate ventilation. Because of the issues the industry faces with ensuring ducting is effective for ventilation, we introduced our own range of Fast Track semi-rigid ducting. This range of purpose-designed ventilation ductwork can be installed very quickly and easily, making it immediately airtight. Available in thermal, semi-rigid and rigid components, the range offers the complete ducting solution for best practice installation to ensure the optimum performance of the system. It overcomes all of the issues associated with traditional ductwork.
Commissioning
Correct commissioning of a ventilation system is essential to ensure that the correct airflows are achieved. For some units, there is the option to use smart connected devices that can speed up the installation process of systems such as MVHR, making set up and commissioning far simpler and quicker than in the past. Correct installation can ensure a ventilation unit’s
power consumption, energy efficiency and noise levels are optimised and that running costs are lower. Undertaking NICEIC certified training and joining a domestic ventilation competent persons scheme can assist with ensuring that ventilation units are installed right first time for long term energy efficient operation.”
A
s the UK emerges from another challenging winter that has seen energy bills continue to rise, a new survey has
revealed the impact this is having on plumbers. The research, carried out as part of Wavin’s annual ‘State of the Nation’ survey, shows that plumbers have seen an increasing number of issues as a direct result of customers not turning their heating on. Almost two thirds of respondents said they were receiving more callouts for faulty heating systems, at a time when the majority of those surveyed said they were already facing a workload that was too high. Although there is set to be temporary respite
for consumers in the form of changes to the energy price cap in April, a year of uncertainty and global supply chain challenges means that plumbers will continue to be under significant pressure in the year ahead. There are also concerns about the long- term impact on the industry as a whole. A combination of busy workloads and frequently overrunning jobs is reducing the amount of time being spent training the next generation. Less than half (45%) of those asked said they had an apprentice – at a time when skills shortages are plaguing the sector’s ability to react to the cost- of-living crisis.
Steve Harris, technical support engineer at
Wavin UK, said: “This research lays bare the situation we are now in. Plumbers are under more pressure than ever before to accept work that they can’t realistically handle to ease the strain on their customers. This could have serious repercussions on work / life balance, risking a skills exodus from plumbers who cannot keep pace with the demands being placed on them. “At the same time, there is already a skills deficit that needs to be addressed. We need more plumbers entering the industry, not fewer, which makes the lack of time that can be given to training apprentices even more worrying. “That’s what makes this research so crucial
in raising awareness of the challenges we face. Plumbers pride themselves on hard graft and it’s better to be busy than have no work on at all – but unless plumbers are supported in addressing the skills shortage and tackling issues associated with the cost-of-living crisis, the industry is at risk of sleepwalking into a situation that will be difficult to come back from.” Wavin recently sat down with a few plumbers to
take a deep dive into the industry’s hot topics – see what they had to say here:
https://blog.wavin.com/ en-gb/new-survey-reveals-true-cost-of-living-on- plumbing-industry
A roundtable to discuss some of the issues affecting plumbers
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