With rising optimism in the construction and house building sectors, research by Uponor has shown that the heating and plumbing industry is following suit with 90 per cent of installers enthusiastic about the year ahead.
In the survey of Uponor’s supplier network, 45 per cent of respondents thought that the biggest factor affecting their business would be customers wanting more efficient systems to help them to save money, while over half (52%) said simply the recovering economy.
Chris Greaves, Head of Offerings and Markets at Uponor UK says: “It is no surprise that as the house building and construction markets begin to improve, installers’ order books also expand as more and more homeowners have the extra cash to invest in new heating systems or extensions.”
Interestingly, installers also responded to say that there is a shift in demand for different technologies with a cool 73 per cent of installers highlighting UFH as a key solution in the year ahead. This was closely followed by heat pumps and solar thermal with 59% and 39% respectively. CHP and cooling technologies however featured bottom, with less than 1 per cent of the vote each.
In fact, when installers were asked why underfloor heating had received such a low uptake compared to Europe, over two thirds said it was because consumers had very little understanding of the technology. Remarkably, just under a quarter (24%) said that they and other installers had limited knowledge of the technology and how to install it while 31 per cent said they didn’t think it was suitable for UK homes.
Chris said: “The research provides a great snapshot of the plumbing industry and the rising optimism within the market. What’s great to see is the rising importance of technologies such as UFH but also the need for education within the marketplace.
“Many European countries already utilise UFH systems for both heating and cooling, so if temperatures continue to rise here in the UK, as predicted, it could be an interesting new development for the plumbing industry.”
Uponor offers a range of courses from its dedicated training academy in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The business also offers customers the option of onsite training on request.