INDUSTRY NEWS Inbrief
Mitsubishi Electric’s latest report, Heat Pumps: Accelerating the Switch, reveals one of the biggest barriers to unlocking a heat pump boom is the cost of electricity.
https://les.mitsubishielectric.co.uk
With Awaab’s Law now in force, Airtech, is encouraging social housing landlords to ensure ventilation systems in their properties are regularly serviced to maintain good IAQ for tenants.
www.airtech.co.uk
Specialist heat network services provider Insite Energy has welcomed the fi rst two apprentices onto its newly launched training scheme designed to fast-track talented young professionals into the low- carbon heating industry.
www.insite-energy.co.uk
CIBSE has announced that the Domestic Building Services Panel (DBSP) has now formally migrated into CIBSE, becoming the CIBSE Domestic Building Services Panel (CIBSE DBSP).
www.cibse.org
Lochinvar has appointed Andy Sims as the new Northern Heat Pump Specialist. He brings a wealth of experience in the HVAC sector, having joined the industry almost 20 years ago.
https://lochinvar.ltd.uk
Fernox offi cially opened the Fernox Experience and The Ernie McDonald Training Academy in Woking, at an Autumn event that brought together customers, industry infl uencers, supply chain partners and press.
https://fernox.com
New fi gures from the Heat Pump Association (HPA) show that 32,920 of the 98,345 heat pumps sold in the UK in 2024 were manufactured domestically, accounting for a third of the total factory gate sales. This represents a 40% increase from 2023
www.heatpumps.org.uk
The Manufacturers’ Association of Radiators and Convectors (MARC) has reminded all radiator suppliers to be aware of their obligations under the Construction Products Regulation 2011. To learn more go to
www.marcuk.com/news/legal- requirements-for-radiators
A NEW REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING SOCIETY HAS BEEN LAUNCHED
T
he Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Engineers Society (RACES) is the new voice for professionals working in the refrigeration, air conditioning and
heat pump sector. A not-for-profi t organisation, RACES was created by Michael Smart and Graeme Fox after many months of planning, and in collaboration with an advisory board drawn from a cross section of the industry covering some of the leading lights of the RACHP sector. Michael explained: “I was frustrated by the lack of
representation that ordinary refrigeration engineers had in the industry from the existing bodies. Ordinary engineers felt they needed a diff erent approach to representation and I reached out to Graeme to help me turn this dream into a reality.”
The main driving role for the new society will be to support small businesses in their refresher and upskilling training courses needed over the next few years to prepare for the wider transition to alternative refrigerants. Graeme explained: “The industry these days has a huge majority of small and micro businesses operating as contractors – over 90% of contractors have less than fi ve engineers per company – that’s a massive change in the demographic from where we were 30 years ago when I learned my trade. The requirement to send your engineers away for even one or two day courses presents a comparatively huge fi nancial and
Michael Smart
operational strain on small businesses as against the traditional larger contractors, and we have set out to provide access to free or reduced cost access to the kind of training courses these engineers will be needing in the coming years.” RACES brought together an advisory board representing wholesale outlets (both national and privately owned), large refrigeration consultancies and respected contractors to ensure it was set up to best address the concerns that Michael fi rst identifi ed. RACES has already secured sponsorship from some of the industry’s biggest names and are now organising training courses for their members to take advantage of. The plan is to hold training courses across the UK giving better geographical spread to their availability, and to support any regional groups or branches that currently exist in the sector as well as support any regional groups wanting to start up. “We’re creating a real community for the sector here,” Michael added, “and we welcome all in our industry to join us and help us deliver what our sector has long needed.” Joining fees for membership start at £65 and with an up-to-date technical library already in place, and developing every week, RACES is expected to quickly become the main representative body for engineers in the RACHP industry.
www.races.org.uk
Graeme Fox
BESA WELCOMES ‘RENEWED URGENCY’ IN SAFETY REGIME
T
he Building Engineering Services Association has praised the new team running the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) for making rapid progress on
improving the planning process but called for renewed focus on remediation projects. Recently appointed BSR chair Andy Roe promised to clear the backlog at planning Gateway 2 for higher risk buildings (HRBs) which had stalled the new build housing market, but without compromising stringent safety standards introduced under the Building Safety Act. He created a centralised ‘Innovation Unit’ of planning specialists and a ‘batching system’ to focus on the biggest new build projects, covering nearly 34,000 homes, which are now being assessed at pace. Most of the 150 plus HRB schemes are now expected to clear the system by the end of the year. Antiquated IT systems and a shortage of experts, particularly in the computational fl uid dynamics required
to assess complex fi re safety designs, have undermined the planning process, but Roe and his team are now addressing these. He is also appointing a team of ‘account managers’ to work with major developers and address their concerns which led to a dramatic reduction in investment in much needed housing projects this year. “The renewed sense of urgency at the BSR is palpable,” said BESA’s director of specialist knowledge Rachel Davidson. “This is so important because it is crucial that the industry can have confi dence in the process. “Andy Roe and his team have brought in some
innovative changes which appear to be bearing fruit already. Clearing the backlog of the most signifi cant projects will help the whole sector by getting money fl owing back into construction and freeing up resources so more projects can start moving forward.”
6 November 2025
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