After a two-year collaboration between LCL Awards, the the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), Heat Pump Association, manufacturers and industry professionals, we are delighted to announce the launch of the Ofqual-regulated, Low Temperature Heating and Hot Water Systems in Dwellings qualification.

With the UK to hit net-zero by 2050, we are on a path to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from heating systems. Low temperature heating and hot water technology such as heat pumps, use less energy and are coming to the fore. The objective of the new qualification is to up-skill professionals to both design and install these types of systems.

Kevin Wellman, CIPHE CEO said, “Public demand for low temperature heating systems is only going to increase, and we need to ensure the industry is ready to step up. With this new qualification, installers will have the knowledge, competence and confidence to install technologies, that may have previously felt quite unfamiliar. If we are to reduce emissions, the simple fact is that systems need to be correctly designed and installed, and so it’s installers who sit at the heart of net-zero. This course will be a pre-requisite to the Heat Pump Association’s own training courses and will help launch a number of new careers in the renewables sector.”

Mark Krull, Director for LCL Awards, said: “We are delighted to have worked with CIPHE on this venture, developing a new qualification that meets the demands of multi-skilled installers – the type of engineers required to deliver evolving heat and power demands. Low temperature heating and hot water systems are often renewable, but the latest gas combi boilers combined with underfloor heating, for example, also meets this brief, making this qualification a future proof choice for today’s building services installers.”

At the end of the two-day course learners will:

• Be aware of the latest industry standards and regulatory framework relating to heating design
• Know the requirements for undertaking room-by-room heat loss calculations
• Understand how to correctly size heat emitters
• Know how to correctly size pumps and pipework
• Understand how to correctly size a domestic hot water system
• Be familiar with the basic design principles of system configurations.

Who is the low temperature heating and hot water qualification for?

When delivered as a stand-alone course, the qualification will be open to anyone involved in the design and installation of heating and hot water systems – not just heat pump installers.

Pre-requisites include pre-existing knowledge and competence in heating systems, via qualifications (N/SVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent), or experience installing wet central heating systems, evidenced with membership of a competency scheme e.g. GasSafe, OFTEC, MCS or HETAS, or manufacturer course certification. N/SVQ Level 2/3 qualifications can be in plumbing, heating and ventilating (domestic or industrial and commercial), oil fired technical services, or gas installation and maintenance.

The low temperature heating and hot water qualification is supported by a reference guide, available from the CIPHE bookshop at a cost of £50.00.

Details of the LCL Awards qualification can be found, here.

To find out more about the qualification and discover a test centre near you, please visit: www.ciphe.org.uk/lowtempheating