Insidethis issue 3 JUNE 2025 VOLUME 63 ISSUE 6 Editor’s
Viewpoint by Chris Jones
Who doesn’t like a freebie?
Anyone wondering what direction the UK heating industry was heading in need only to have spent a bit of time at the recent InstallerSHOW, staged in the last week of June at Birmingham’s NEC. A glance up and down some of the exhibition aisles would have confi rmed that heat pumps were front and centre of many manufacturers’ stands, even those more associated with more traditional forms of heating. As it stands, in terms of sales fi gures, the UK heat pump market remains tiny compared to that for domestic gas boilers, yet installers currently have the luxury of an even wider choice of potential brands and suppliers to select from. In the coming years, no doubt a few of those names will fall by the wayside. But if the government is keen to encourage competition, then they can’t really complain about the commitment of the manufacturing sector. However, many would argue that it’s at the installation
stage where there has been a drag on demand. Too many gas boiler fi tters remain unconvinced about heat pumps as a viable alternative and are reluctant to invest in the time and eff ort required to gain the necessary experience and qualifi cations. Now there’s a new scheme designed to address that very problem. The ‘Start at Home’ initiative hopes to persuade up to 5,000 sceptical installers to fi t a heat pump in their own home in the belief that familiarity with the technology will help to win them over (see this month’s cover story). As initiatives go, it’s certainly an imaginative one and it will be interesting to learn just how quickly the scheme gets to its target number of installers. Time will also tell just how many of those installers who
sign up for a free heat pump are genuinely open-minded to the benefi ts of a low-carbon system as opposed to seeing an opportunity to get something for nothing. After all, the number of gifts and gimmicks fl ying off the stands at Installer suggest that you should never underestimate the trade’s appetite for a freebie!
Special Features 15
Bathroom Products
The space-saving benefi ts of wall- hung sanitaryware and an update on the latest design trends
Regulars
04 News Review 10 Merchant News 11 People on the Move 11 Horror Show 12 Letters 12 Gadgets & Tools 13 Training Update 24 Products in Action 34 Step-by-Step
Products in Action
35 Product News 38 Directory 38 Information Centre
Don’t forget to use our online reader enquiry service to quickly fi nd the web page you need
See page 24 for the latest case studies 25
Heating Controls
Digital thermostats and user-friendly apps can help to reduce energy use and improve system performance
29 Pipes,
Fittings & Valves
Push-fi t fi ttings can be the installer’s friend, particularly when working in cramped environments
Contributors John
Blackburn Bathroom
16
A good fl ow of water can make all the diff erence to a customer who has invested in a new bathroom
Look out for next month’s issue
Neil Budd Heating Controls
26
How smart room thermostats can help householders to have full control over home appliances
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The Essential Magazine for Plumbing, Heating & Air Movement Professionals
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Managing Editor Chris Jones Assistant Editor Carol Hitchcock Consultant Publisher Chris Evans Southern Advertisement Manager Nathan Wood Production Paul Forster Design Consultant Tim Plummer
Drew Clough Pipes, Fittings & Valves
30
Flame-free pipework solutions are proving to be ideal for use in some prestigious heritage projects
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