With the accelerating transition from boilers to heat pumps and the arrival of a host of new integrated digital services in the home, Peter Spurway, Head of Key Accounts & Strategic Partnerships at Viessmann Climate Solutions UK, assesses the changing role of installers.
Plumbing & heating engineers are, of necessity, evolving into smart home technology experts. They now play an increasingly valuable role in specifying appropriate control regimes to decarbonise homes for their customers.
Key to this is understanding each homeowner’s individual requirements and providing guidance in selecting the most appropriate and future-proof Home Energy Management System (HEMS) platform. This should maximise energy efficiency and minimise emissions by facilitating seamless interoperability, giving the homeowner the opportunity to holistically upgrade their system step by step over time with heat pumps, MVHR, solar PV, battery storage and EV charging. Seamless integration of devices, as enabled by Viessmann’s One Base HEMS, makes it straightforward to incorporate any existing equipment or add further elements as the ecosystem of innovative products are released in the future. This opens up the possibility of a more affordable measure-by-measure approach towards complete energy self-sufficiency.
Virtual Power Plants (VPP)
The electrification of the home, where supply and demand of all heat and power forms one ecosystem, is just the start, however. Individual properties can be part of smart grids or virtual power plants operated by energy companies. Households harvest green energy from the wind and sun for their own use, with any surplus being used to balance demand elsewhere across the network.
Viessmann Climate Solutions now offers a suite of products that are interoperable with smart grids. Vitocharge VX3 batteries can provide a virtual power plant to support grid balancing, while Vitocal heat pumps, Vitovent MVHR and Viessmann Wallbox technologies also offer demand shifting.
Energy companies are already partnering with large developers to market new homes that are equipped with a heat pump, battery and solar panels, with a no-energy-bill guarantee for a certain period of time. This in turn means that housebuilders are increasingly leaning on the expertise of installers to help them incorporate smart heating technology into new-build architecture and meet building regulations.
Heat pump energy tariffs
Dynamic tariffs are also playing a significant role in the transition to net zero homes, with manufacturers and energy suppliers increasingly forging partnerships to offer attractive deals. However, this is still an emerging and evolving market in the UK, with countless options available, which means it’s another area where installers’ expertise can add real value for customers currently.
All heat pumps are compatible with long-established time-of-use tariffs, with some offering smart automation to ensure optimum pricing. Models from Carrier such as the AquaSnap, for example, can optionally use intelligent third-party controls like Homely or the Passiv Smart Thermostat to harness dynamic tariffs, capitalising on fluctuations in wholesale energy prices.
Type-of-use tariffs, on the other hand, which offer preferential rates for the electricity used exclusively by a heat pump, regardless of the time of day, are not yet as widespread. OVO Energy’s Heat Pump Plus add-on currently costs 15p/kWh at all times, a saving of approximately 10p/kWh on average. It’s available to domestic customers using certain types of air source heat pump, including Viessmann’s Vitocal 150-A and 151-A.
Design support
With technologies (and the regulations designed to encourage and manage their implementation) changing so rapidly, there is a market skills gap while installers acquire the knowledge they need to meet their customers evolving needs. Manufacturers therefore have a role to play in helping engineers design & specify the most beneficial technology packages to create successful autonomous energy ecosystems.
Viessmann Climate Solutions, Carrier & Toshiba offer an indemnified heating layout design service, which ensures all types of smart services work together harmoniously. They can also offer an on-site MCS sign off service for MEP sub-contractors. Housebuilders are increasingly looking to the services of MCS-accredited installers and designers who can provide estimated running costs and noise calculations. The Viessman Access MCS umbrella scheme is designed to enable smaller companies and independent installers to be able to offer this assurance and expertise to their clients.
Although the pace and scope of technological changes can be daunting, they bring with them opportunities to add real value for customers through advice, education and expertise. We’re making sure we’re supporting our installer partners on this journey, both through the future-ready products and digital services we provide and the old-school, human-centric support and advice that underpins them.
