Social Market Foundation - Experts & Thought Leaders

Ministers should launch a national campaign to recruit an army of plumbers and heat installers as ‘Climate Heroes’ cutting Britain’s dependence on imported gas, a renowned global think-tank, Social Market Foundation (SMF) has reported. The Social Market Foundation said that the United Kingdom (UK) needs to recruit and train many more plumbers to install heat pumps, in order to replace millions of gas boilers, if the target of a Net Zero economy by 2050 is to be met. Cutting the use of fossil fuel heating Much more needs to be done to show plumbers the financial and environmental advantages of training for heat pumps Cutting the use of fossil fuel heating will reduce Britain’s dependence on imported gas, making the country less vulnerable to disruption on international markets that is driving up energy bills. But the current generation of plumbers lack incentives to getting training for heat pumps and not enough new recruits are being drawn into heat installation work, the Social Market Foundation said in a report, which is based on extensive interviews with workers and leaders in the heat industry. A national charm offensive that encourages more people to train for heat installation, by showing the national importance of the work is the need of the hour. Much more needs to be done to show plumbers the financial and environmental advantages of training for heat pumps. Replacing fossil fuel systems with heat pumps The SMF report will be published this week, in partnership with a cross-party group of MPs. The heating of buildings, including homes, accounts for 14% of carbon emissions. Reducing this to meet the UK’s net-zero goals rests in large part on plumbers to replace millions of fossil-fuel heating systems with new ones, such as heat pumps. Policymakers need to also address the barriers to re-training, such as high costs to re-training, inconsistent training standards, and lack of a robust plan for the industry. If these barriers are not addressed, the Government will struggle to meet its target of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, as per SMF. The Social Market Foundation found concern in the sector that not enough young recruits are being drawn into an industry that will need a large expansion, so as to meet the challenge of installing millions of new heat pumps. ‘Climate Heroes’ campaign To make the job more attractive, plumbers should be celebrated as key workers, leading the green revolution in home heating. The UK Government should launch a ‘Climate Heroes’ campaign aimed at recognizing the importance of the home heat workforce, for recruiting more into this vital sector, the SMF recommends. Other key recommendations to policymakers include: Stimulate consumer demand by boosting the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Launching a clear national information campaign on the phasing out of fossil fuel heating for installers and consumers alike. Consider providing tax relief for sole traders and self-employed installers when they’re re-training. Set out clear training standards and certifications for all heat pump installers. Call to reduce dependence on imported gas The report is being launched before a virtual panel event hosted by the Social Market Foundation The report is being launched before a virtual panel event hosted by the Social Market Foundation, in association with the APPG on Intelligent Energy and Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group. The SMF panel event will feature Peter Aldous, Lord Oates, and SMF Senior Researcher, Amy Norman, and will be chaired by SMF Director, James Kirkup. Amy Norman, Senior Researcher at the Social Market Foundation (SMF), said “Energy bills are rising because we’re too reliant on imported gas bought on international markets, where prices are soaring. Taking the gas out of home heating will help to reduce that demand and protect households from this volatility, so the plumbers and installers involved will be doing great service to the country.” Plumbers and heat installers vital to achieving Net Zero goals She adds, “Plumbers and heat installers are going to be absolutely vital to the huge national effort to get the carbon out of our home heating. But right now, they don’t have the clarity or incentives they need to get training in fitting heat pumps. We need a dramatic call from Government to call up a generation of climate heroes, who will take the carbon out of our homes.” Amy Norman further said, “The message is clear - your country needs you to get trained to fit the heat pumps that will help make Britain’s homes cleaner, greener and less dependent on expensive imported gas.” To seize the opportunity of a Net Zero economy, we’re going to need a lot more plumbers and heat installers" She continues, “To seize the opportunity of a Net Zero economy, we’re going to need a lot more plumbers and heat installers, but there is concern in the sector that not enough young people want to get into the trade. Ministers should use the Government’s messaging power to celebrate plumbers and heat installers as climate heroes playing a vital role in delivering a greener future.” Decarbonizing UK homes Peter Aldous said “Decarbonizing British homes will play a vital role in delivering Net Zero, and as this report shows much will depend on the skills and effort of plumbers and heat installers. Making sure we have more workers with the skills needed to give Britain greener homes and cut our use of expensive gas must be a national priority. Those workers should be celebrated for the role they will play in the Net Zero economy.” Peter Aldous adds, “The report demonstrates to people across the political spectrum that with the right policies and priorities, Net Zero will deliver a better economy, rich in opportunities for skilled and rewarding work.”

Plumbers have been overlooked in the Government’s plans to end the use of gas boilers in British homes, putting the whole Net Zero agenda in jeopardy, a think-tank warns. heat installer workforce project The Social Market Foundation said that the Government strategy aimed at decarbonizing home heating does not give plumbers and other workers enough incentive to get training to install the heat pumps that ministers want to replace gas boilers. The SMF is undertaking a major research project with the heat installer workforce. Its interviews with plumbers suggest that many see little reason to spend time and money getting the skills needed for heat pumps. Net Zero Plans The government’s stated ambition is for the deployment of 600,000 heat pumps installed a year by 2028 The UK’s Net Zero plans mean decarbonizing the heating of buildings, including homes, which account for 14% of carbon emissions. Over the coming decades that will mean replacing millions of domestic fossil-fuel-burning heating systems with new ones, including heat pumps. The Government’s stated ambition is for the deployment of 600,000 heat pumps installed a year by 2028. The Heat Pump Association estimates that 50,200 fully trained heat pump installers will be required to fit one million heat pumps a year by 2030. But the SMF found that the Government does not appear to know how many installers are currently trained for heat pumps Official Net Zero documents use different figures, the SMF found. Heat strategy The Heat and Buildings Strategy, published by the business department, suggests that there are 1,100 fully accredited companies. The Net Zero Strategy, published by Boris Johnson on the same day, suggests there are currently 3,000 trained fitters. SMF analysis of the heat strategy concludes that the policies it sets out do not give plumbers and installers enough reasons to train for heat pumps.  The strategy overlooks the fact that most of the relevant workers are self-employed sole traders, who must spend their own time and money on training. Justification of training The heating strategy does not do enough to support household demand for heat pumps Many plumbers do not currently believe that such training will be soon justified by work installing heat pumps, the SMF found. The heating strategy does not do enough to support household demand for heat pumps, it concluded: the 450 million set aside for grants will support just 90,000 new pumps a year for three years.   The heating strategy also postpones a decision on whether to support the use of hydrogen in boilers as an alternative to fossil fuel gas. That creates uncertainty among plumbers about heat pumps, the SMF said. Risk of unskilled workers Finally, the SMF found that some plumbers, especially those closer to pension age, are calculating that existing gas boilers will create enough work for them until they retire. Ministers have said they hope to end all installations of new gas boilers by 2035, but have not set a firm deadline and insist that no one will be required to replace a pre-existing boiler. The combined effect will be that Britain risks being left with not having enough workers with the skills and training needed to replace millions of gas boilers, the SMF said. The government isn’t creating enough incentives for plumbers and other heat workers to get the training needed" Inadequate incentives Amy Norman, the senior researcher at the SMF, said, ‘Taking the carbon out of home heating is a vital part of Net Zero, and the Heat and Buildings Strategy is a good start." "But as things stand, the government isn’t creating enough incentives for plumbers and other heat workers to get the training needed to replace gas boilers with greener alternatives. That can still be fixed, but unless it is, forgetting to call the plumber could put Boris Johnson’s whole green agenda at risk.” “Plumbers, installers, and heat engineers are vital to Britain’s greener future. They’re skilled workers who are used to making sure they have the right training to meet customers’ needs. But when you’re your boss, you need to know the costs of training are going to be worthwhile, and right now Net Zero plans don’t offer enough incentives to train.”