BATHROOMS & SHOWERS PLUMBING & DRAINAGE TO 2022 - AND BEYOND
John Kerr, Marketing Director at RWC, talks to BMJ about at what’s been happening in the heating and plumbing industry, and what it means for the market.
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f the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that almost anything can happen. Just as we were getting our heads around Brexit and what it meant for supplies, along came COVID. Next it was the turn of electricity, forcing up fuel bills and hitting us hard in the pocket. And looming over everything there’s climate change and the need to cut greenhouse gases. All of these have implications for the heating and plumbing industry.
However, the main take-away is that there’s going to be work, and lots of it. With over £100 bn set aside for construction projects over the next 10 years, the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and an increase in people looking to refurbish their homes, the heating and plumbing market is set to boom over the next year.
Little steps: big change main driver of this efficiency focus is climate change and the need to cut emissions and greenhouse gases, and this will continue to impact on our industry as we work towards net zero in 2050. Over the last year, there was a lot of talk about action plans and new regulations, but little in the way of real policy. From here on in, things are going to change dramatically, starting in June 2022 when the Part L uplift kicks in. This is essentially the first of many steps we’ll all be taking towards 'The Future Homes Standard' which will take effect in 2025 and require new homes to have 75% less CO2 emissions than at present. The 2022 uplift provides an interim
target. What it means ultimately however, is the beginning of the end for gas and oil-fired boilers and a transition to new and more efficient heating solutions.
Alternative solutions With the government aiming for 5 GW of low carbon production capacity by 2030 and the likely news that hydrogen boilers can be installed from 2026 onwards, there are high hopes for a hydrogen enabled future.
In the short-term, heat pumps will play a large part in the government’s 2021 Heat and Buildings Strategy. As this sets a target of up to 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, they’ll begin to appear increasingly on our work schedules. There are installation challenges however, and they’re up to four times more expensive to install than the £2,500 average for gas – and that’s without the high cost of extra insulation needed for a home that’s in EPC Band E or below. So even if the government meets its promise of cutting these costs by half over the next few years, heat pumps are unlikely to become dominant just yet.
Energy management To complement these new heating systems, other methods need to be in the mix, including IR radiators and underfloor heating, such as RWC’s JG Underfloor systems which offer excellent performance as well as easy installation. These systems are also programmable to improve control and efficiency – a trend which will increase next year
February 2022
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as homeowners, faced with higher bills, look to reduce energy costs. Installers will therefore see more interest in other programmable devices such as RWC’s JG Aura wireless TRV (thermostatic radiator valve), which enables the control of individual rooms more efficiently.
Realistically however, until we see the emergence of an all-powerful heating system, we’re likely to see more ‘mixed’ solutions. This has led to the notion of ‘Home Energy Management’ which will become every bit as familiar a term as ‘Smart Heating’. A report by Delta-EE suggests that home energy management will grow by 30% annually over the next five years. This is already affecting the mix of workloads, and the moment energy suppliers start offering lower tariffs for more efficient homes, it’s likely to affect it even more.
Research by the Skills Training
Group shows an alarming decline in the number of people entering the industry - down 4.19% over the last 16 years. If this continues, there could be as few as 132,614 installers by 2049, which isn’t many considering the burden of work as we move towards that carbon zero target in 2050. While the industry is working hard to attract new talent and apprentices, there’s also a need for faster, simpler and more efficient technologies. Helping compensate for the lack of expertise, push-fit ticks all of these boxes so expect it to gain even more traction. Changing regulations, new technologies, major building programmes… from 2022 onwards, there’s plenty to keep us all busy! As a major supplier to the sector, RWC and its family of brands is at the forefront of these developments and looks forward to supporting you going forward – not just next year, but long into the future. BMJ
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