Modern Building Services

MODERN BUILDING SERVICES MAY 2021 15 FEATURE HEATING The lower flow temperature also results in less useable hot water in the tank. As an example; the performance envelope of R290 allows the Vaillant aroTHERM plus to get hot water at 75oC straight from the heat pump’s refrigerant circuit, so that the water in the hot water cylinder will be 70oC without the use of a direct electric immersion heater to protect residents from legionella. This results in a more effective systemwhich can deliver 376 litres of useable hot water - equivalent to about six standard showers*. Closing the skills gap With heating trends changing all the time and new regulations being introduced, it’s essential for installers to keep up to date. But currently, there are not enough qualified engineers to design and install the amount of low-carbon, or low temperature heating systems needed to implement the expected increase in these technologies in forthcoming years. The HPA has estimated that a total of 69,500 installers would be needed by 2035 to deploy the number of installations necessary in order for the UK to stay on track and achieve net-zero by 20501 We, along with other manufacturers, offer a range of informative online courses to upskill installers and engineers about heat pumps and ‘green’ solutions. But these alone, are not enough. Engineers need a wide range of up-to-date skills, knowledge and competencies that reflect the latest technologies and standards to help them to design and install quality low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps, for their customers. That’s why government needs to encourage more investment in training, and all parties in both the refrigerant and heating industries need to work together to successfully roll out relevant courses that have been built on a robust qualification criteria and teaching framework. Trusted technology Due to the technology involved, many manufacturers of heat pumps started out as makers of air conditioning units. Vaillant on the other hand, evolved from being a gas boiler manufacturer. This means that we have spent 140 years working with combustible gases and are in a strong position to deliver comfort in homes in an energy efficient, quiet, and safe way. Heat pumps are enabling consumers to heat their homes and generate hot water with zero carbon emissions at point of use. As a company which has been synonymous with heating solutions for 140 years, we are well-placed to use a different refrigerant with a much lower GWP to truly deliver comfort without the carbon footprint. By also providing the right training to increase and develop skills across the refrigerant and heating industry, engineers, installers and manufacturers can all work together to implement heat pump technologies to meet the climate challenge. *Based a standard 12 litres a minute shower for five minutes.