Laying underfloor heating will become faster and easier thanks to Polypipe Building Products - the UK’s leading manufacturer of underfloor heating systems.
 
Polypipe is introducing its new Overlay Plus system which is EIGHT times lighter than the standard gypsum board currently used (1.2kg compared to 10kg per board).
 
Polypipe is constantly striving to improve products and systems and their latest innovation will mean savings of time and space for installers and more efficiency in energy-consumption for customers.
 
Overlay systems have remained similar for around 15 years but Polypipe has moved to make life easier for installers with the development of the Overlay Plus system.
 

Market Harborough-based boiler and heating leads specialist Holmes Media has announced it has changed its name to Boiler Guide following a strategic decision to concentrate its efforts predominantly on the heating industry.

Based at The Point in the Leicestershire town, Boiler Guide helps tradespeople across the UK to access a supply of customers who are looking to replace or repair their boiler through its website and allows homeowners and tenants to find reputable, local and quality help. The company already works with more than 3,000 accredited Gas Safe Registered engineers across the country, and through its leads, installed 26,000 boilers in 2019.

Boilers across homes in Scotland are the most resilient when it comes to breaking down, despite being home to the UK’s coldest temperatures according to the results of a new study.

The 2020 UK Boiler Breakdown Study, examined the amount of properties across the UK mainland and boiler breakdowns to establish the UK’s worst locations for boiler reliability. It found that just 1.79% of properties in Scotland reported problems with their boiler in 2019 - the lowest across the UK. 

This comes despite the fact that average temperatures across Scotland are markedly lower when compared to the rest of the UK mainland. 

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Scotland’s leading trade body for plumbing and heating professionals has renewed its call for Government support to prioritise funding for apprenticeships and support for upskilling following the release of details on the UK’s new immigration system that takes effect on 1st January 2021.
 
Fiona Hodgson, chief executive of the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF), said that demand was already outstripping supply and amid the existing shortage of qualified plumbers, the new immigration system she feared would make it more difficult to achieve Government objectives on housing stock and climate change. Construction costs on these projects will “certainly” increase, she added.
 

The end of gas central boilers? By Izzy Schulman, Director, Plumbers4U

A new report in May 2019 declared the UK is set to become carbon neutral by 2050, slashing the country’s emissions by 80 per cent.

The energy use in our homes contributes to around a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions, and naturally, our boilers play a significant part in this.

As a result, energy regulator OFGEM revealed its plans to remove gas central heating from all homes by 2050 to meet the government’s target of net-zero carbon emissions. 

So, what does this mean for those of us with gas central boilers in our homes? There are currently four options being shared with homeowners…

Hot water and air

Self-employed plumbers enjoyed a big bounce in earnings in January after taking a well-earned break at the end of last year.
 
Average weekly pay for plumbing contractors rose by 46.2 per cent to £1,322 last month, according to analysis of payroll data for more than 2,200 construction companies in England and Wales.
 
Freelancers in West Midlands saw weekly earnings more than double in January to £1,484. This is equivalent to an annual salary of more than £71,000.
 
Their counterparts in London and the South East similarly saw substantial increases last month, rising 62.9 per cent to £1,489 and 49.4 per cent to £1,286 respectively.
 
The analysis shows that plumbers had highest earnings of all 17 construction trades last month.

Kensa Heat Pumps have succeeded in securing their full suite of 3kW to 13kW thermal output single phase ground source heat pumps on the Energy Networks Association (ENA) Connect & Notify database.

The move means British-based manufacturer Kensa has the largest number of ENA Connect & Notify approved ground source heat pump products in the UK – over 60% of the ENA single phase database - enabling simpler, quicker and lower cost ground source heat pump installations. 

Kensa Heat Pumps’ Technical Director and co-founder, Guy Cashmore, comments:

“Installers of heat pumps will be familiar with the complications, hassle and potential additional costs of a heat pump not being ENA Connect & Notify approved.

The construction industry takes great care in protecting staff from visible risks, ensuring all precautions are taken to maintain the physical wellbeing of its workers. 

Despite this, construction is still one of the most dangerous sectors to work in thanks to the big presence of a risk that isn’t visible: employee mental health.

“Safety is one of the biggest concerns in the construction industry,” says Daniel Ure from online PPE retailer Vizwear, “and since one of the biggest risks to workers in construction today is that posed by mental health problems, addressing them needs to be at the top of an employer’s list of priorities.” 

According to the Construction Insurance Risk Engineers Group (CIREG), insurance claims for escape of water occurrences have increased substantially, both in their frequency and severity, since 2015. Even more worryingly, the body states that large losses from escape of water are now as prevalent, if not more so, than fire related incidents.

Winter can be one of the busiest times of the year for a plumber. The last thing you want during the winter months is to have to call one out. Whether it’s for a cracked pipe or a broken boiler, it can be inconvenient and expensive.

There are a few things you can do to protect your plumbing this winter. Allow North Staffs Utility Services to talk you through how you can winterproof your home, and avoid a plumbing emergency.
Insulate pipework
It’s important to insulate your pipework in order to prevent pipes from freezing or cracking, as this can lead to further issues occurring.