Glow Worm and Worcester Bosch join the Low Carbon Solutions Scheme

Energy Smart can inform you that Plumb Center has announced key revisions to the A1 Low Carbon Solutions Fuel Switching Scheme which promise to give qualifying oil heating installers something to look forward to in 2011.  The new and improved scheme will see installers, who are registered with the scheme, walking away with £100 cashback for every qualifying fuel switch they complete.

The installer incentive comes in addition to the grant funding of up to £520 which installers are able to access for their customers through the scheme.  Being able to access this funding provides installers with an advantage over their competitors, allowing them to offer more competitive quotes and in turn to pick up more business. 

The A1 LCS Scheme has been around for a number of years and although the details of the scheme have changed, the premise has remained constant - to encourage the installation of low-carbon, high-efficiency heating systems in the privately-owned residential housing sector. 
Homes where an electric or coal-fired heating system is replaced with a new less carbon intensive gas, oil or LPG A-rated boiler - purchased from Plumb Center, a key partner of the scheme - are all eligible to apply for the grant.

Eight leading boiler manufacturers are involved in scheme - Worcester Bosch, Valliant, Baxi Potterton, Vokera, Alpha, Glow Worm, Ideal and Grant UK.

For cheap energy efficient boilers contact Energy Smart today.

Plumbing Trade Supplies - second in BBC Three’s ‘Young plumber of the year’

PTS customer Charlie King battled other plumbers from across the country and came second in BBC Three’s ‘Young plumber of the year’ thanks to a nomination from his local Plumbing Trade Supplies branch manager.

PTS Romford Branch Manager Barry Jones put 21 year old Charlie, from Entire Plumbing Ltd, forward thanks to his creative ability and determination to have his own successful business. BBC Three’s ‘Young plumber of the year’ celebrates talent across the UK, with the winner chosen by a panel of industry experts.

Charlie started out as an apprentice and it wasn’t long before he was working to get his own plumbing business off the ground, buying his first van at the age of 17 and starting his company at 18. Now fully established, Entire Plumbing Ltd installs everything from bathroom suites to solar heating systems.

Barry Jones, PTS Romford Branch Manager said: “I’ve been working in the heating and plumbing industry for 17 years and for me, no plumber has stood out as much as Charlie. He is incredibly motivated and determined which I have a lot of respect for.

“Charlie knows a lot about the industry and is already a keen user of renewables. He has been a very loyal customer of ours and PTS will be supporting Charlie all the way. He has done well to have made it to the final four and truly deserves the recognition for all his hard work.”

Charlie added: “I’m proud to have been recognised nationally for my work. Barry’s faith in my ability has given me the confidence to push myself further and I’m incredibly grateful that PTS nominated me out of all its customers to go into this competition.”

For plumbing accessories and cheap boilers contact Energy Smart today

Plumbing News, Swindon Apprentice wins BBC Young Plumber of the Year

A former Swindon College apprentice has won the BBC Young Plumber of the Year Award.

Aimee Patterson, 23, competed against hundreds of applicants for the title of Britain's best young plumber on BBC 3 last week.

Aimee, who completed her plumbing apprenticeship at Swindon College in 2008, was "over the moon" to have won.

She said: "I've got so much passion for the industry and I love what I'm doing.

"And this proves that women can do it in the industry and that we are just as good as anyone else."

Televised at the beginning of December the BBC 3 programme set the young plumbers a series of challenges.

Toilet test

The two day competition tested skills such as unblocking a toilet, soldering a "nightmare plumbing maze" and designing and constructing a fountain.
BBC Young Plumber of the Year
Despite winning the title Aimee doesn't believe that girls make better plumbers

"The worst challenge we had to do was a quick-fire question round which was horrible," explained Aimee.

"And when I got to the final we had to make a fountain - now lots of friends are taking the Mickey out of me and asking if I can make a fountain for their garden."

As the only girl shortlisted to compete for the title, the 23-year-old also had to prove herself against comments that she had "only got through because she was a girl".

"There was a comment made by one of the other contestants that I wasn't as good," she said.

"But if I'd thought I'd got through just because I was a girl I'd have gone straight away.

"I wanted to be treated just the same as all the other guys because I like to think that I am just as good as the guys."

Girl plumbers

Despite being described by the programme's judges as "outstanding" and a "great role model for the industry", Aimee doesn't believe that girls make better plumbers then boys.

"I think we're different - I wouldn't say we're any better," she said.

"I think we think about things differently and have a more methodical way.

"But I hope I've proved a point and that there are a few people out there that will now want to do plumbing because it's a brilliant industry."

PTS Plumbing Supplies tackle top running challenge

A team of PTS employees pulled on their running shoes to compete in the Great South Run on 24th October in Portsmouth, raising around £700 for Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Passing the finish line after a tough ten miles were PTS Haslemere Branch Manager Andrew Marchant and PTS Camberly Assistant Branch Manager Matthew Armstrong-Forbes. Both runners had been training hard for months before the challenge, raising money through the support of friends, family and PTS customers and suppliers.

Andy Marchant, Branch Manager at PTS Haslemere, said: “This was the first sponsored run I had ever done so it was a real challenge, but our team wanted to support the great work of the CF Trust. I am now preparing for the London Marathon in April 2011 and I hope we can rely on the same support from everyone that helped us to raise such a massive amount of money this time around.”

Keen runner and PTS Sales Representative for Leicestershire Duncan Foley also represented the North of England when he took on the Great North Run on Sunday 19th September in Newcastle, Gateshead. Duncan will be joining Andy in support of the CF Trust at the 2011 London Marathon. The CF Trust is the UK’s only national charity dedicated to all aspects of Cystic Fibrosis.

For Plumbing supplies at the best rates available see www.energy-smart.org.uk

Help stop the silent killer, says company

They call it the silent killer – and in the UK, around 50 people lose their lives to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning every year.

But now appliance repair company 0800 Repair, is helping upto five hundred local people beat the menace of carbon monoxide, by giving them free detectors when they have their gas appliances serviced.

Phil Pallister, Managing Director of 0800 Repair’s gas division said: “There have been many terrible tragedies where people have died in their own homes from carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Common sources of carbon monoxide poisioning include faulty central heating systems, gas appliances and fires.  If appliances aren’t operating properly or if flues and chimneys get blocked and the fumes cant escape and are inhaled by people in the home, then this can lead to fatal consequences. 

“We extended our appliance repair services to cover gas this summer, but as winter is drawing in we are keen to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide and the importance of having your gas boiler, cooker and fire serviced regularly.”

Starting this month, 0800 Repair is offering hundreds of free carbon monoxide detectors to customers who get their boiler serviced or checked by the company.

The company is already well-known in the area thanks to its eyecatching black and yellow vans – which have a 7ft screwdriver on top.

The company has linked up with the Sunderland branch of national company Plumbing Trade Supplies (PTS) for the safety awareness campaign.

For Energy efficient boilers contact EnergySmart 

High Performance Boilers from EnergySmart

High Performance Boilers

Busy families need a boiler heating system which fully supports their lifestyle and provides perfect comfort levels. Featuring a stainless steel heat exchanger, the Ultracom2 range boiler provides excellent heating and hot water comfort and boasts low energy consumption reducing both your costs and your carbon footprint.

Offering a variety of combi, open vent or sealed system boiler appliances in a wide range of outputs, the Ultracom2 range offers exceptional reliability and performance. SEDBUK A rated, with a NOx Class 5 rating (the best possible), the Ultracom2 range also offers complete flexibility with a wide range of control options. The innovative production process of the complete Ultracom2 range is controlled and optimised through a seamless assembly monitoring system always ensuring the highest product quality standards.

Access all areas
Designed with hassle free installation in mind, the brand new Ultracom2range of High Efficiency combi and system boilers offers a spacious internal design with easy access to all components without the need to remove the side panels meaning no side clearances are required.

Combined with one way wiring connections and a unique, simple filling loop design meaning you don’t have to remove any parts, installation and servicing is both straightforward and quick. The High Definition plain text display ensures hassle free and simple commissioning, whilst the advanced stainless steel heat exchanger reduces noise so much, the Ultracom2is so quiet you’ll barely know it’s there.

Flexible controls
With a choice of plug in analogue, digital or external eBus controls the Ultracom2offers complete flexibility providing perfect home comfort for every application. Also featuring a unique receiver slot located inside the boiler, the Ultracom2and the new Climapro2RF wireless programmable room thermostat are the perfect
combination for advanced heating control.

Buy the best boiler at the best prices on the web – visit EnergySmart today!

Plumbing Merchants PTS support British motocross

Leading heating and plumbing merchant PTS has pledged its continued support to the AMCA British Motocross under 18s champion, Jack Jones, with a sponsorship deal designed to keep his bike in top winning condition.

Jack works for his father’s company, Burton Gas Ltd and has been a customer of PTS’ Burton-on -Trent branch for four years. After following Jack’s rise to racing fame, Matt Cudworth, Manager of PTS Burton offered to join boiler manufacturer Viessmann in sponsoring his bike in preparation for the AMCA 2010 Motocross Youth Championships.

Matt said: “Jack and his father Barry are familiar faces in the Burton branch and we are thrilled to be able to help keep him on the road by sponsoring his bike. We wish him every success as he continues to make his mark in the Motocross championships and look forward to seeing him rise up the ranks even further.”

Jack adds: “The sponsorship money that we have received from PTS is being used to keep my bike in tip top condition. We often need new tyres and keep a good stock of brakes and accessories to see us through the races that I attend so this support is invaluable.

“I’m really grateful for all the support that I get from the PTS branch in Burton and always look forward to going in store to update the team on my continued wins.”



For energy efficient cost effective boiler contact visit Energy Smart

Plumming news | Grant Aerona Air Source Heat Pump

Energy Smart can confirm that Grant UK took home two prestigious trophies at the 2010 ‘OFTEC Awards for Excellence’ at the Richoh Arena in Coventry. The evening included a Gala Dinner with special guest speaker, writer and comedian Barry Cryer OBE.

Outshining the competition, Grant was presented with the coveted ‘Training Centre of the Year 2010’ award recognising their hard work and dedication to training engineers across the country. This is the sixth prestigious award the Academy has won, since it opened in January 2003.

Based in Wiltshire, the Grant Training Academy has an extremely comprehensive course portfolio featuring tuition on oil-fired equipment installation and servicing, renewable training for solar thermal, solar PV, air source heat pumps and WRAS Certification, as well as several free of charge Grant product courses. There is also a new MCS Guidance course – ideal for companies wishing to gain MCS accreditation.

Additionally, the Grant Aerona Air Source Heat Pump came runner up in the new category of ‘Innovative Product of the Year’. Anna Wakefield, Marketing Manager for Grant UK commented: “We are thrilled to receive this level of industry recognition for our Aerona Air Source Heat Pump. Having been in development for over 18 months and the official launch only in January this year, the award is testament to Grant's commitment to appliance quality, reliability and peace of mind for those purchasing any of our renewable technologies.”

Plumbing info: Vaillant are opening a new Centre of Excellence in Cambridge

Plumbing information: Vaillant are opening a new Centre of Excellence in Cambridge on the 18th November 2010.

The centre of excellence is located within the Cambridge IQ business park, which is actually part of the local wildlife reserve. With conservation and sustainability as its key messages, the park is the perfect setting for Vaillant to promote its energy saving technologies.

The new training centre enables Vaillant installers from the East Anglia and Essex areas the opportunity to train on the full Vaillant product range, plus providing a perfect meeting place for customers and visitors wanting to find out more about Vaillant.

For the best Vaillant products at the best prices visit www.energy-smart.org.uk

Plumbing supplies - Glow-worm Heat Pump

EnergySmart can confirm that Glow-worm are extending their straightforward and installer friendly Clearly Heat Pumps range with the introduction of a brand new 5kW air to water heat pump (AWHP).

Creating the next generation of air to water heat pumps from Glow-worm, the new Clearly Heat Pumps 5kW system with an electrical back-up heater, is designed especially for new build houses with a low energy requirement.

Clearly Heat Pump 5kW provides a highly efficient heating and domestic hot water solution which can contribute towards achieving level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. The system has full MCS accreditation meaning that it is eligible for possible future RHI funding.

The new 5kW heat pump features a slimline, modern design, housing the latest electronics in a compact monobloc unit measuring just 900 x 880 x 345mm. Offering an impressive a COP of 3.79 (A7/W35) and using non ozone depleting R410a refrigerant, the new 5kW heat pump also incorporates a modulating DC fan, operating at between 300 and 750 rpm, keeping any noise to a minimum.

Significantly for installers, no F-gas qualifications are needed to install the unit, and no separate system expansion or additional buffer vessels are required. The unit and all components are easily accessible enabling straightforward installation and servicing.

The unit also incorporates an inrush current limiter enabling installers to fit the system with a standard 20 amp breaker, and an electronic expansion valve to give precise flow regulation of the refrigerant liquid for optimised COP.

The indoor Hydraulic Module SA separates the heat pump circuit from the main central heating system, so there is no need to fill the entire central heating system with glycol antifreeze, making installation and servicing even easier. The hyrdraulic module also incorporates a 20 litre buffer vessel, a 12 litre expansion vessel, a central heating circulation pump, filling valves for the glycol circuit, PRV and an inline heater, adjustable, up to 6kW.

As the outdoor unit itself utilises Glow-worm's eBus communication protocol for advanced system communication, the Clearly Heat Pumps 5kW unit can be teamed with a suitable Glow-worm high efficiency boiler and an alternative hydraulic module (Hydraulic Module HB), to form the Glow-worm Clearly Hybrid system.

Combining the use of the heat pump with the latest generation of Glow-worm’s Ultracom2 High Efficiency boilers creates the UK's first hybrid renewable domestic heating system that combines traditional and renewable technologies to always choose the most cost efficient method of heating the home at all times.

With rapidly changing consumer attitudes and government initiatives such as Feed in Tariffs (FiT) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) making the proposition of installing renewable heating technologies more attractive to homeowners, both Clearly Heat Pump 5kW and the revolutionary Clearly Hybrid system present the perfect opportunity for installers to take advantage of the changing consumer landscape and movement towards new heating technologies.

For Boilers at trade prices visit www.energy-smart.org.uk

Plumbers – Some Useful Information to Trade Heating Installers

While upgrades to controls in existing heating systems, other than at times of boiler replacement, are not specifically required under the building regulations it is good practice for all homes to have a set of controls that at least complies with the minimum standards in the Building Regulations – a boiler interlock, room thermostat, programmer, thermostatic radiator valves and a hot water cylinder thermostat. These will ensure that the existing heating system is not operating inefficiently and allow the occupants to make further reductions in their energy costs through behaviour change.

Heating installers should recommend controls upgrades as required to meet these standards when visiting homes for maintenance and repairs. UK Government is committed to reducing energy use in homes and householders should be reminded that 84% of energy use in homes is from heating and hot water.

Wireless controls are a convenient choice for controls upgrades; allowing ease of installation and minimal disruption by taking away the requirement for wiring runs.

Control may be provided by any boiler management system that meets the specified zoning, timing and temperature and boiler interlock control requirements.

One zone must cover the ‘living area’ and heating zones will often be divided to cover ‘living’ and ‘sleeping’ areas, or upstairs and downstairs. There are usually significant opportunities for energy saving by matching zones to the lifestyle of occupants (for example with home offices) and installers should look for opportunities to set up zones beyond the minimum requirements.

 A 2006 report by Nationwide showed that most four-bedroom detached houses fall into this category with the average floor area of such properties being 157m2 (the average for five-bedroom detached was over 200m2.) Older houses can be larger than modern ones, with the average of all pre-war detached homes being over 150m2.

Energy efficiency and energy saving boilers see our website www.energy-smart.org.uk

Reduce your carbon footprint and save money!

Sentinel products are available through Energy Smart, the efficient boilers can reduce your carbon footprint and save you money.

Sentinel, Europe’s leading water treatment specialist has become the first company in the heating and plumbing sector to be given the right to use The Carbon Trusts’ carbon label. And not just on one, but two of its top selling products, showing Sentinel are committed to A1 carbon solutions. The Carbon Label Company’s primary objective is to support companies worldwide to measure, certify, reduce and communicate the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of their products and services.

Sentinel has gone the ‘extra mile’ in its commitment to the environment and carbon reduction by being the first company in the heating sector to achieve a Carbon Trust Certification for carbon reduction.  It has had a carbon footprint carried out on two of its biggest selling products both available at massive trade discounted prices when purchased through the Energy Smart website; X100 system protector and corrosion inhibitor and the X800 system cleaner. Both X100 and X800 products are carbon footprint products which are below the normal GHG emissions for similar products.

Integrated sustainability solutions provider Sustain carried out the carbon footprint assessment of both products using life cycle assessment techniques. Sentinel, by working with Sustain, has been able to calculate the carbon emissions generated in the production and distribution of these products.  The outcome is that if you clean a typical dirty central heating system using Sentinel X800 Jetflo, and treat it with Sentinel X100, you can restore efficiency by an average of 2.6%. This equates to an annual energy emission saving of 38kg CO2 for a typical home, a great start at increasing carbon footprint savings.

An example is that 38kg CO2 is the equivalent of switching on a 60 watt light bulb for 1,000 hours. For further information relating to Energy Efficient Boilers look on our website www.energy-smart.org.uk

Boiler efficiency can be restored by using water treatment products

We all take our boiler efficiency within our heating systems a little bit for granted. Switch them on when we need heating and hot water. Switch them off when we don’t. But the heating system in a home is responsible for a huge percentage of the fuel we burn – whether its oil or gas or solid fuel. So doesn’t it make sense for the heating system to be as efficient as it’s possible for it to be – so it uses as little fuel as possible, costing you as little as possible, and provides heat as efficiently as it can? Maximum boiler efficiency results in cost savings and greater heating effectiveness.

A simple way to achieve this is to use high quality chemical water treatment products to flush through your system to get the system clean and to add to the system once its clean to keep it that way. Sentinel water treatment products are acknowledged throughout the heating and plumbing sector as the best you can get and the chemicals they offer will clear blocked pipe work, radiators and pumps and valves of the rust deposits – black magnetite sludge – that settles in the system and also if the property is in a gard water area - 60% of the UK, the lime scale deposits that build up on the heating surfaces in the boiler.

Adding one of Sentinel’s Boiler system cleaners – X300, X400 or X800 depending on how old the system is and how heavily blocked it may be, will see the debris in the system flushed out of it and once the water flowing through the heating system is clear, you need to add Sentinel X100 to the system which inhibits and protects the system – with its Triple-Tech technology - ensuring that all the different metals in a heating system – steel, copper and aluminium are protected from the problems that a system without chemical water treatment products will suffer from.  Sentinel’s system cleaning products restore boiler efficiency.

To buy energy efficient boilers online save money today and visit www.energy-smart.org.uk

Plumbing courses could be more profitable than other qualifications

An online source has suggested the jobs achieved by people who take vocational training such as plumbing courses can often lead to better salaries than other more conventional qualifications.

A post to an Independent article on the newspaper's website, saying that vocational education has in the past been incorrectly categorised as being "easy" qualifications to complete.

The writer suggested that GCSEs, A-levels and degrees can sometimes be taken more seriously than plumbing courses, even though the latter has the potential to deliver a more profitable career.

More apprenticeships could lead to greater interest in plumbing courses

A recruitment expert has also suggested that companies could benefit from arranging more apprenticeships, which may lead to more attendees on plumbing courses.

With the every increasing awareness of environmentally friendly technologies Plumbing is just one of the industries that continues to gain the interests of ambitious students, introductions of energy efficient boilers, solar technology and wind turbines means that the public are becoming far more awear of environmental issues.  The expertise gained on green energy courses  could help firms to save money, since one source has suggested there are more than just environmental benefits to certain innovations.

General manager of the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company (CTFC) Euan Murray claimed that the most carbon emissions are often produced in unlikely places and cutting them down can lead to financial savings.

He suggested that professionals who have taken green energy courses will be best placed to work out the optimum way of making operations more environmentally friendly.

If you are a qualified installer and looking for the best online energy efficient boiler prices click on the following link www.energy-smart.org.uk

Boiler Discounts available to Plumbers from EnergySmart.org.uk

The EnergySmart boiler discount scheme provides our clients with the best value boilers available, making the replacement of boilers and installations of new and efficient central heating as economical as possible. 

To make the maximum possible impact our scheme provides boilers through EnergySmart direct to any installers in the Country, as well as to the members of our Installer Group on all our installation programmes, with the aim of encouraging them to specify condensing boilers.  

This is because most boilers are distressed purchases (i.e. an old boiler has broken down in mid-winter), and the Boiler manufacturers have relatively weak consumer brands. This means that consumers generally conduct minimal research before they purchase a new boiler, leaving the decision of which boiler is best up to the installer.

Since the launch of the UK-wide scheme in 2003 over 200 installers have registered with EnergySmart, to take advantage of the scheme click on the following link... Boiler Discount Scheme.