Tag: #heatpumps

Green Careers Week

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.

Why Buy a Heat Pump from Us?

We know it’s difficult to choose a heat pump installer. Whilst you should always start with an MCS (www.mcscertified.com) accredited installer, there are a lot of them to choose from. So why choose us?

Tailored and Bespoke Installations

Our founder and owner Leah Robson has been installing heat pumps for 10 years. She visits each of our customers and ensures that the heating system we fit for you is bespoke and tailored to meet the needs of you and your home. Heat pumps come in many brands, types and sizes and whilst we most often install Samsung, Vaillant and Kensa heat pumps, we are able to install many others as required. We also understand that some customers would rather maximise the performance and energy efficiency of their heating system, whereas for others, cost to run, noise or appearance of the outdoor unit are more important.

High Quality Installations

We pride ourselves on the quality of our workmanship. A lot of our business comes from customers recommending us to their friends and we have some excellent reviews on Google. We want you to talk about how fantastic it has been to have a heat pump installed by us. You can see from the photos in our Gallery that each cylinder cupboard is carefully designed to create an elegant, easy to maintain arrangement of pipework. Each heat pump sits on a purpose-built base to ensure that the condensate drainage is safely kept off paths and away from your building.

Once you agree to have a heat pump installed by us, our Senior Heating Engineer Kevin will visit your home to confirm the technical design and discuss pipe and cable runs. He will run the project once we start, directing our other heating engineers Colin and Dave and liaising with you should you have any queries. Any issues can always be escalated to Leah. At the end of your project Kevin will provide a full handover and you will receive a handover pack with all the information about your installation. Ongoing support is provided and we very much want to annually service your heat pump for you.

Whole House Renewables

We are a whole house renewables company and 50% of our customers also have solar PV and batteries installed by us as part of their project. This means that we can work with you to ensure that the various components of your renewable home work well together. We will ensure that you have the right amount of PV panels and battery storage to reduce the running cost of your heat pump and can advise about the best controls for your heat pump and solar PV system.

We are used to installing heat pumps as part of a wider project of refurbishing or extending your home and can be flexible to install as part of 1st and 2nd fix. Once you sign up with us we provide a full set of builder’s requirements so that your builder knows what they need to provide for us – electrical supplies, pipework etc. Then we meet on site with you and your builder to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Social Enterprise and Training

Finally, we are a social enterprise, dedicated to training the next generation of renewables installers. We currently have 5 female trainees learning heating, plumbing and electrics. We are a 50/50 male /female firm, which is an outstanding ratio in an industry that is only 2% female. You can read more about our training scheme here. We want to train our trainees to be the very best that they can be and they all work very closely supervised by our experienced installers.

More Subsidy for Heat Pumps

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.

Our Introduction to the World of Renewables – A Summer Internship at YEYW

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.

Roof prep for solar PV installed rubber tiles, drilled hooks into rafters and installed rails for panels to hang on
Half way through – installed rubber tiles, drilled hooks into rafters and installed rails for panels to hang on
Roof fitted with solar panels
The 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!

Your Energy Your Way launches new Trainee Scheme to solve the Renewables Skills Gap

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.

Full details of the trainee scheme: https://www.greenworkx.org/lp-your-energy-your-way

Leah Robson, Managing Director of YEYW, said:

‘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.’

Renewable Energy Technicians fitting solar panels

Celebrating International Women’s Day with an exciting investment opportunity to promote women in renewables.

Your Energy Your Way has partnered with Ethex, the leading impact investing platform, to raise up to £250,000 and is calling for UK investors to get involved*. 

From as little as £500, UK investors can support a successful green energy solutions organisation through a pioneering renewable energy training program that will tackle the UK climate crisis, focusing on women that will secure the future for the renewables sector in the UK. 

As an added incentive, investments made before the end of the 22/23 tax year also qualify for 30% Social Investment tax relief.

Your Energy Your Way is a very successful female-led, Surrey-based business that installs bespoke renewable energy systems for homes and businesses across the South East.

The domestic heating sector currently represents around 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions and in order to meet UK’s Net Zero targets by 2050, the sector must be rapidly decarbonised. Your Energy Your Way are accelerating this shift by installing a variety of renewable energy assets on homes and businesses, including solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and electric vehicle chargers. In doing so, they are enabling the generation of more clean, home-grown energy, tackling the climate crisis and boosting the UK’s energy security.

However, despite high demand in the sector, there is a growing skills shortage for renewable energy services. The heating sector is already experiencing a shortage of labour, which is likely to worsen as it consists of an ageing workforce with few new entrants.

Leah Robson, Founding Director of Your Energy Your Way commented “My personal experience is one of becoming an accidental expert in the renewables installation business.  Over the past 10 years, assisting with and then running my own firm has taught me more than any MBA or College course ever could.  And quite simply the courses do not currently exist that train you to install high-quality integrated renewable energy solutions. This exciting investment opportunity will help us to redress that issue, at the same time as raising the profile of women in the renewable energy sector.  We want to create training and work opportunities so we can provide a sustainable future.”

The latest Gas Safe Register data shows that engineers’ median age is 55, an age around which many start retiring or leaving the sector. There are currently 120,000 gas boiler installers but to meet Net Zero targets the number of heat pump installers will likely need to rise from 2,000 to around 50,000-100,000.

And women are severely underrepresented in the heating sector with only 2% of tradespeople being women. Moreover, only 5% of professionals in the overall UK energy sector have an ethnic minority background.

Your Energy Your Way are aiming to launch a new and groundbreaking training scheme that will help plug the skills gap in the sector, enabling more homes and businesses to decarbonise their energy usage, while at the same time seeking to add diversity to the workforce.

The scheme, partly funded by investments in their bond offer, will provide hands-on training to fill the skills gap in the renewable energy installation market, where demand is currently much higher than availability. It will also increase diversity within the renewable energy sector by encouraging female applicants and trainees of all ages and backgrounds, creating up to 18 secure job opportunities.

By training a home-grown workforce, Your Energy Your Way will be able to grow their business in line with demand and increase profitability. The training program will help Your Energy Your Way to provide almost 900 renewable energy solutions creating almost 14,000 mWh of clean energy per annum and saving almost 3,000 tonnes of CO2.

Lisa Ashford, CEO, Ethex: “It is clear that we need to act urgently to decarbonise our buildings and businesses like Your Energy Your Way are key to us achieving that goal. As we approach International Women’s Day, it is fitting to be launching an offer that is not only securing the future of the renewable energy sector by filling the skills gap, but prioritising training and employment for women in this industry where they are hugely underrepresented. We are very excited to welcome Your Energy Your Way to the Ethex platform.” 

The offer is aiming to raise £250,000 (with a minimum raise of £200,000) and will provide the capital needed for Your Energy Your Way to launch the training program, tackling the skills shortage within the renewable energy sector, encouraging more women into careers in the sector and, ultimately, helping the UK reach its net zero goals by generating more clean energy and cutting carbon emissions.

Investments start at £500, with Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) applying to eligible investments made before April 6th 2023, in return for putting their money to work to help build a diverse, inclusive and skilled workforce to create a renewable energy sector fit for the future. Further information about the offer visit www.ethex.org.uk/invest/yeyw

What is Whole House Renewables?

At Your Energy Your Way, we think that creating a low carbon home is so important it shouldn’t be done in a piecemeal way. We give advice on what renewables technologies are best for your home and budget. Here is an example from one of our customers.

The owner of this Georgian 6 bed house was keen to remove himself from the gas grid and make his home a show home for renewables.  The particular challenges we faced were:

  • the age of the property
  • the fact that it bordered a conservation area
  • the unsuitability of the house roof for PV

The first step was to check that the customer had carried out all suitable insulation measures.  This included double glazing throughout, loft insulation and draught proofing.  Despite this, the house still had a heat loss of 24kW at a design temperature of -2 degrees outside.  We discovered this through a room by room heat loss survey.

Our survey identified three things:

  1. The radiators were to small for a low temperature heat pump (running at max 50 degrees)
  2. The radiators needed upgrading even for a high temp heat pump (running at 60 degrees)
  3. We would need two single phase heat pumps to meet the heat load

As a result, our first step was to upgrade the majority of the radiators in the house, including some curved bay window radiators.

Solar PV and battery

Given the electrical demands of this system and the fact that the customer owned 2 electric vehicles, we suggested solar PV and a battery to help meet this demand.  The house roof was not suitable, so we installed the maximum solar PV installation (without incurring shading) on the garage roof as shown.

We used 8 x LG Neon All Black Mono PV panels, one of the highest output all black panels on the market at the time.

We also installed a battery  to enable the solar PV to be used outside of daylight hours. We couldn’t install a hybrid battery charger/inverter, so we put in a Solis Dual 2500 inverter in the garage (putting the lower placed string on a separate MPPT) and a GivEnergy 2.6kWhr battery in the house near the fuseboard.

Inverter, Battery and Solar Thermal Panel

Solar Thermal

There was a further south facing roof space available, but due to the conservation area surrounding the property the customer didn’t want any panels sitting higher than the level of the roof.  Therefore we suggested a Vitasol-300 3.03m2 evacuated tube solar thermal panel.  Solar thermal panels work well at all angles and from March to September will be able to provide the majority of the hot water for the customer reducing reliance on the heat pump and the electricity supply.

Heat Pumps

To meet the heat load of the property we installed 2 x Hitachi 6HP high temp heat pumps, each with an output of 14kW at design temperature.  Planning permission had to be granted for the install because 2 heat pumps are not permitted under permitted development.

Air Source Heat Pump Plant room and Outdoor Units

EV Chargers

Finally, we installed 1 x 7kW EV Charger to charge the customer’s EV and 1 x 3kW EV charger to charge the customer’s plug in hybrid car with a much smaller battery.