It’s Green Careers week! What is that all about I hear you ask.
Green Careers Week not only spotlights environmentally-friendly and sustainable job opportunities; it also provides a fantastic opportunity to learn, connect, and explore the many ways you can contribute to a more sustainable future through your career choices. Whether you’re a recent graduate looking for your first job or someone looking to make a career shift towards sustainability like I did, this event can provide valuable insights and guidance. If you are interested in finding out more about Green Careers Week, you can do so here.
I also wanted to share my recent journey into a green career. Towards the end of last year, I made a 360-degree career change and joined Your Energy Your Way and the world of renewable energy solutions.
I must be honest and admit that I had never heard of a heat pump until then! Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but that said, I know that there are many people out there who, like me, don’t know how the technology works or what the benefits are.
I know that here in the UK we tend to think of a heat pump as a new technology, and quite honestly that is exactly what I thought. I then decided to some research and was rather surprised to learn that the first heat pump system was developed back in 1855!
I also found it interesting that the Nordic countries Sweden, Finland and Norway, which have the coldest climates in all of Europe also have the most heat pumps installed with more than 40 heat pumps per 100 households.
Needless to say, I still have LOADS to learn and I am grateful to have the opportunity to have a green career that is interesting and where I feel I’m making a difference.
Yesterday the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced changes to the government policies supporting the country’s transition to Net Zero.
One of the changes affects the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), which helps homeowners with an upfront payment towards the cost of an energy-efficient heating system, such as heat pump. Under this scheme grants are to be increased.
Where before there was a £5000 grant towards an eligible air-source heat pump installation, this has been increased by 50% to £7500.
For an eligible ground-source heat pump installation the grant has been increased from £6000 to £7500.
The new vouchers will be available from 23rd October, but we can already take bookings for work at the new rate. Note that they do not yet reflect on the government website.
We recognise that a heat pump has a large upfront cost attached to it. The increase in the grant will make an installation more affordable and allow more homeowners to take low carbon heating into consideration.
Heating our homes and workplaces with low carbon heat is the best way of helping to lower carbon emissions and doing our bit to help combat climate change. Emissions from domestic heating and hot water currently make up around 77% of total household carbon emissions. We seriously need to move away from the high carbon fossil fuels we currently use and change the way we heat our homes over the next decade and beyond to work towards Net Zero.
The demand for renewable energy solutions is currently high, yet there are not enough trained engineers to meet the demand of heat pump and solar panel installations. We are proud to have launched an innovative training scheme in renewables to meet the shortage of low carbon energy experts.
If you have an upcoming installation with us, you will certainly get to meet one of our trainees.
You can read more about our training programme here.
A guest blog by our interns Hannah and Mia on their experiences of working with us this summer.
As two people keen to take our first steps in the renewables industry, we were delighted to do this through a summer internship offered by Your Energy Your Way.
So what did we learn?
It was decided that the best way of familiarising ourselves with renewables would be to jump in with the design process and having a go for ourselves.
We were introduced to two software packages – one which is used to perform heat loss calculations to help determine what heat pump is required for a particular property, and the other to design solar PV systems. This gave us a basic idea of how Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) and solar PV systems function. We used this knowledge to move on to designing actual systems that people would be able to use in real life homes and workplaces. We both found it so inspiring to help our projects go through the design and costing process, before seeing the results as they were installed and handed over to the new owners.
We especially enjoyed shadowing a technician who was servicing ASHPs for a few days. This helped us to translate what we had learnt in the office into practical skills, and as a bonus, find out more about general heating systems than we had anticipated! Other highlights included learning exactly how Air Source Heat Pumps work and we enjoyed the lovely breeze the heat pump generated on a boiling summers day – although apparently this isn’t quite so pleasant in the middle of winter!
Towards the end of the summer, there was the opportunity to install a solar PV system over the course of a week. Especially notable was being able to get onto the roof and help with solar panel installations. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn some generally useful electrical skills, while giving a much better idea of what was in a solar PV system. By going to a site and doing a complete install, it was much easier to see how the parts we had ordered in the office all fitted together and why they were all necessary to get to the final, commissioned system.
Half way through – installed rubber tiles, drilled hooks into rafters and installed rails for panels to hang onThe completed installation
It’s been a full summer getting into a fast-paced and rapidly changing industry. But we’ve gained so many useful skills over the last few months, on top of discovering that it’s not all doom and gloom. People are taking real, tangible steps to help the environment, which is really motivating and hopeful.
We’ve loved taking a dive into world of renewables and hope to be back soon!
myenergi specialises in renewable energy products, specifically focused on home energy management systems. They are known for developing innovative solutions for integrating renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and electric vehicle chargers.
The latest addition of battery storage solutions is the long-awaited Libbi battery and we are proud to announce that we are an approved Libbi installer.
What differentiates the Libbi from other home batteries?
The Libbi is classed as an intelligent home battery system, due to the fact that it makes decisions about providing and storing electricity based on your electricity usage, how much your solar PV system generates, and the electricity tariff you are currently on. It also seamlessly integrates with any other myenergi devices you may already have.
The Libbi works as both an AC and DC coupled battery system with your solar PV. This means that you can connect solar PV without a separate inverter. You can also retrofit the Libbi to your home with or without an existing solar PV AC system, by connecting it as an AC connected battery.
The Main Functions of the Libbi
Solar charging – rather than channeling any excess solar generated electricity back to the grid, it can be stored throughout the day and then used in the evenings when unit costs are more expensive.
Grid charging – for anyone who does not have a solar PV system, the Libbi is still a great option, as it can be charged on cheaper overnight tariffs. The stored electricity can then be used throughout the day.
Solar PV can be added to the battery storage system at a later date, however bear in mind that at the time of writing, the battery installation is subject to 0% VAT if installed together with a solar PV system.
Advanced control – the myenergi app allows you to set up charging and usage parameters to suit your needs, giving you complete control of the Libbi.
Anti-draining – the myenergi app allows you to prioritise devices to be charged. This means, for example that the Libbi won’t drain when you plug in your EV charger, unless you have set it up in the app to do so.
Blackout Back-up – while the Libbi cannot provide whole home back-up during a power-cut (i.e. let you whole home run normally), it can provide power to a dedicated limited output circuit or sockets.
Modular Battery Storage
The Libbi is designed as modular battery storage system, with each module having the capacity to store 5kWh of electricity. This allows you to choose the configure the battery for your needs.
Each module stores up to 5kWh of electricity, allowing you to configure a system from 5kWh to 20kWh of storage.
The myenergi App
This app connects all your myenergi devices and allows you to choose where and how your stored power is used in your home. It allows you to monitor grid import and export, solar PV generation and much more.
If you are interested in the Libbi or any other myenergi products, please get in touch via info@yourenergyyourway.co.uk or fill in the webform on our website and we can provide you with advice and a quotation for supply and installation.
Social Enterprise Your Energy Your Way launches a Trainee Renewables Scheme to meet the skills shortage of low carbon energy experts by recruiting a diverse workforce of renewables technicians.
With households and businesses realising that low carbon energy is an essential part of meeting Net Zero climate change targets, demand for renewable energy solutions is high. But, there are not enough trained fitters to install the necessary heat pumps and solar panels. A recent report by Nesta states that we need 27,000 more by 2028*.
Social Enterprise Your Energy Your Way (YEYW) is launching a new scheme designed to meet this skills gap by recruiting a diverse workforce. The mission of YEYW is to enable the transition to low carbon energy, through integrated renewable solutions, delivered by a diverse workforce. The scheme has therefore been designed to be particularly appropriate for women, by addressing potential barriers for female candidates:
• shortage of apprenticeship places
• a lack of female role models
• unsupportive environments
• financial difficulties associated with training later in life.
‘A recent report on the heating sector by Energy Systems Catapult* stated that “Increasing diversity is key to addressing the skills shortage and meeting Net Zero targets”. We think we have found a solution, by designing a training programme that is rooted in real world experience. We intend to pay trainees the real Living Wage to encourage recent graduates and career changers to join the programme.’
Samsung Climate Solutions has generously donated a significant grant to enable the traineeship to take place.
Steve Fleming, Head of Samsung Climate Solutions UK & Ireland, commented:
“Samsung Climate Solutions are really proud to be involved with this initiative to make a change in the heating industry. We feel this is a fantastic opportunity for the installers of the future to work and train with Leah, one of the standard bearers in the industry. We look forward to supporting the trainees’ progress and helping to mentor and train the new recruits.”
The programme is intended as the pilot for a renewables training programme that could be rolled out to improve training, workforce diversity and renewable delivery across the sector.
It is being facilitated by online learning experts Betateach, who will provide fortnightly online meetings with a learning manager, to support the real world experience of working with YEYW’s heat pump installers, solar PV installation team and office team.
Each trainee will be tasked to maintain a daily presence on Betateach’s Learning Experience Platform, uploading videos, comments and discussion starters about the work they have been engaged in that day to enable peer-to-peer learning between the trainees. YEYW will provide additional engagement with industry experts, the Betateach Learning Manager will make regular site visits to the trainees, and each trainee will have an external mentor throughout.
At the end of the course, the trainees will be peer assessed by Your Energy Your Way staff and other recognised industry professionals to confirm that they are competent.
Greenworkx, the talent platform for emerging green jobs, is running the campaign to find fresh new talent for this programme. Mat Ilic has been working closely with YEYW on it and says:
‘Greenworkx is on a mission to get ten million people into green jobs by the end of the decade, a crucial contribution if the world is to reach net zero targets. We are delighted to be working with Your Energy Your Way on this campaign, because we share a vision that says these are good jobs for everyone, and our route to a better future for people and the planet. This training programme is building a clear pathway for new entrants to industry to learn while they earn, which is fundamental if we are going to succeed in building the skilled workforce for net zero.’
