NAPIT EXPO a success

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NAPIT-Expo

On July 9, the fourth annual NAPIT EXPO once again attracted hundreds of tradespeople, at the Rum Warehouse, Liverpool, in search of training opportunities, specialist advice and exclusive offers.

Councillor Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Employment, Enterprise & Skills at Liverpool City Council, opened the show, which this year focused on plugging the industry’s skills gap. In keeping with this theme, NAPIT Training held four free training taster sessions to offer installers an opportunity to add to their skill set. The sessions covered introductions to fire alarm systems, the Renewable Heat Incentive, electrical vehicle charging and asbestos awareness.

Visitors who sought business advice, regulations guidance and legal counsel dropped in to chat with specialist industry experts in open-door Q&A sessions. Those looking for a bargain were also well catered for with a voucher book full of freebies and discounts potentially saving visitors hundreds of pounds.

NAPIT group chief executive, Michael Andrews, said:

“The NAPIT team and all the exhibitors worked tirelessly to maintain the annual success of the NAPIT EXPO. It was encouraging to see visitors making the most of all the show had to offer; claiming promotions with their voucher books, consulting the experts in drop-in Q&A sessions and of course doing their bit to plug the skills gap by attending our free training taster sessions.”

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Renewable energy projects compete for 200 million pound a year budget

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renewableproject

From October, the renewable energy projects will compete for a budget of over £200 million per year, this is part of the government’s reforms to help aid the electricity market, Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey, announced earlier.

The funding is for the first allocation round for the new Contracts for Difference (CfD), which provide long-term certainty and reduce risk for investors. The government’s reforms to the electricity market will reduce emissions from the power sector much more cheaply than through existing policies – around six per cent (£41) lower on the average domestic electricity bill up to 2030.

Mr Davey said that renewable energy projects would have to bid competitively for the contracts, ensuring that new, clean electricity generation would be built at the lowest possible cost to energy consumers.

At least a further £50 million is planned for an auction round in 2015, with a total of around £1 billion potentially available later for further projects, including Carbon Capture and Storage, up to 2020-21.

Mr Davey said:

“Our plan is powering growth and jobs as we build clean, secure electricity infrastructure for the future. By radically reforming the electricity markets, we’re making sure that decarbonising the power sector will come at the lowest possible cost to consumers.

“Average annual investment in renewables has doubled since 2010 – with a record breaking £8 billion worth in 2013.

“These projects will create green jobs and green growth, reduce our reliance on foreign-controlled volatile energy markets and make sure bill payers get the best possible deal.

“We’re building a secure, low-carbon electricity system that will be the powerhouse of the British economy, supporting up to 250,000 jobs by 2020.”

The funding is managed by the Levy Control Framework, which caps the cost to consumers of renewable energy policies.

The new system is designed to bring more competition and encourage private sector investment in low-carbon electricity generation. The budget estimate comes after the European Commission confirmed yesterday that the Contracts for Difference, Capacity Market schemes, and five offshore wind projects supported by early Contracts for Difference, are in line with its rules on state aid.

The CfD budget will be split between up to three technology groups – one for more established technologies, like onshore wind and solar, and one for less established technologies like offshore wind, and one for biomass conversions. Within each group, contracts will be allocated competitively – putting the UK in the forefront of driving down the costs of supporting renewable technologies and delivering better value for consumers.

The reforms build on the UK’s status as one of the most attractive places to invest in energy globally, supporting economic growth and creating jobs.

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IdealPRO Goes Live on 1st August

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idealpro1staugustIdeal Standard is set to officially launch its first dedicated scheme for the installer community on 1 August.

According to Ideal Standard, IdealPRO goes beyond traditional loyalty schemes to provide an extensive range of both business and product benefits to bathroom installers around the UK.

Independent installers will be able to sign up to the simple online system that allows members to take advantage of rewards, personalised offers and discounts, learn on-the-go and network with the wider industry, all at the touch of a button, says Ideal Standard.

Installers who sign-up to IdealPRO will be rewarded with special offers and points every time they purchase an Ideal Standard product*, from an official stockist. Members who make purchases at branches of Graham can have their points automatically credited to their IdealPRO account.

Points can be accumulated for every valid purchase and redeemed for a collection of more than 2.5million awards from homeware to experiences.

IdealPRO members will also benefit from dedicated support and, be equipped with tools they need to develop their skill set and grow their business, while gaining access to an exclusive online installer community, says Ideal Standard.

Visit www.idealpro.co.uk to sign up.

(*Terms and conditions apply.)

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Pink Training Academy invites all to its open day

Posted on by Posted in Plumbing Industry News

philippapinkplumbingManufacturer, Ideal Boilers, is to sponsor a specialised training facility for female installers. The Pink Training Academy will welcome VIPs and visitors to its launch on July 29.

The idea came from Philippa Cunningham who launched her female-only plumbing company, Pink Plumbing, in 2008, following a successful 20-year career as a teacher.Now she’s set her sights on improving access to training for women who wish to pursue a career in plumbing.

Philippa said:

“Ideal has been alongside me from the start of this project, helping with funding for the building, supplying boilers for the trainees to work on and providing invaluable support, advice and encouragement.

“I want to help women develop their careers by building their own businesses and part of this is helping women access training through our academy.

“The support I’m already receiving from the industry is fantastic, for instance from Saniflo which is donating product and sponsoring one of our training booths and ADEY, which is supplying free product for students to train with.”

Carrie Young, Ideal’s head of marketing, said:

“It’s great to see Philippa’s passion and to work alongside someone who has such ambition to encourage more women into our industry. We must pull together to ensure the long-term career prospects of high quality female would-be plumbing and heating engineers.”

Ann Boardman, Saniflo customer services and marketing manager said:

“Saniflo has a strong tradition of encouraging and supporting ongoing training for installers. We are pleased to be part of this fantastic project for women would-be plumbers and we have been impressed with the enthusiasm and energy that Philippa is putting into the project.”

Sian Edwards, area sales manager for ADEY, said:

“Philippa is an incredibly passionate businesswoman with an idea that will hopefully provide better access to the industry for women. Her drive to educate and support those who want to pursue a career in plumbing and heating is a really positive step and The Pink Training Academy will be a great place to help her achieve this.”

 

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10 Ways to Improve Your Shower

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10 Ways to Improve Your Shower

 

Are you getting the most from your shower? Here’s 10 tips to transform your shower now!

2A good shower is a vital part of your day-to-day routine. After a long day of work, or part of your morning ritual, a shower leaves you feeling fresh, reinvigorated and clean. But are you getting the most out of your shower? We are going to look at 10 changes you can make to boost your shower power!

1. Replace Your Old Shower Head with a Rainfall Shower Head

They look fantastic and provide revitalizing, full-body shower. Also, there can be certain health benefits with rainfall shower heads, as it gives your scalp a break from being blasted with full-pressure, instead providing a gentle rinse of softly falling water. Like the name suggests, it’s like standing in a beautiful, refreshing rainfall.

2. Install a Shower Pump

Some of us prefer the high-power approach however. If this is you, then you could fit a shower pump to your existing shower system. It is easy to do and you will love the powerful, massaging spray that makes your shower feel like a high end luxury hotel.

3. More Outlets – More Options

One of our favourite tips; by adding more outlets to your shower system you can transform your bathroom into a luxury spa. Include a shower handset for a more direct, controllable spray, or install a set of body jets that make your shower not only look more expensive and luxurious, but provide a muscle relaxing, full-body spray.

4. Frameless Shower Enclosure

Why not try a frameless shower enclosure? A sumptuous focal point to your bathroom, frameless showers have a smooth, contemporary look give you that added peace and privacy when you shut the world out and shower in a stylish shower area.

5. A Bath Shower – Versatile and Stylish

Many home simply do not have the space required to have both a bath and a shower, and so many people use a bath shower mixer to allow themselves both in one setup. However, in order to make this more comfortable and more stylish, you can install a P-shaped bath shower; these are specially shaped bathtubs that widen out at one end to give you plenty of room to maneuver while showering, but also lots of room to stretch out and relax when in the bath. There are lots available

6. Upgrade to a Wet Room

Consisting of an open plan shower, a recessed floor and usually beautiful tiles. You can transform your normal shower setup to one of these genuinely breathtaking centre-pieces, with beautiful tiling and a shower screen. A wetroom is a true bathroom luxury, and sure to get friends and neighbors talking! We have a guide online to renovating your bathroom into a wet room, however if you do not feel comfortable taking on this job, then we would always recommend hiring a professional.

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7. Luxury Shower Cabin

Another luxury option, shower cabins can turn your bathroom into a futuristic space for you to refresh and reinvigorate. Often including body jets and steam options, and sometimes even a bath feature, shower cabins are the ultimate in shower enclosures.

8. Accessorize

A good way of giving your bathroom an aspirational lift, and reinvigorating one of the most important rooms in the house is to cleverly use bathroom accessories. Shower towers can transform your shower into a sleek, contemporary statement shower – lots of chrome, and sloping, ergonomic designs.

4You could also try a bold, statement valve. this would give you the option to go for a more traditional style or a modern style, as there is a whole range of traditional exposed valves, with lots of beautiful metalwork and gorgeous cross head designs. Whatever way you go when accessorising your bathroom, the real trick is to go bold – don’t choose a feature to fit in with the shower area, but to define the shower area.

9. Remote controlled showers

Remote controlled showers really are the next step in bathroom luxury; you can warm up your shower from a second location, set your shower to a range of slow-rates with a touch of a button, save your favourite settings so you always have your ideal shower, and even turn over to an eco-setting in order to save money and be a little more green.

10. Shower Squeegee

OK, not quite the luxury upgrade like some of the others, but keeping simple shower squeegee and giving your shower screen a quick squeegee after each shower can not only save you time in the long run as you get a head start on the cleaning, but can go a long way to having a beautiful, sparkling and streak-free shower that is the envy of your friends and neighbours.

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