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Are you tired of hearing about the traditional university path and its hefty student loans? Did you know there are lucrative skilled trades in the UK that offer impressive salaries without a degree? In this article, we're diving into the world of these rewarding careers, revealing the top earners and highlighting exciting options without needing years of university studies. 

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Are you tired of hearing about the traditional university path and its hefty student loans? Did you know there are lucrative skilled trades in the UK that offer impressive salaries without a degree? In this article, we're diving into the world of these rewarding careers, revealing the top earners and highlighting exciting options without needing years of university studies. 

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Heating costs can be a major expense during the winter months, but there are a number of things you can do to reduce them. Whilst most of these can be done by the general public, you may need additional help with others.

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Heating your property with gas is three to four times cheaper than heating it with electricity, but during winter months, your gas bill can easily skyrocket. With winter rolling in and the weather getting colder, we asked our most experienced gas engineers for advice. Follow these 5 tips from our experts to reduce your gas bills this winter.

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The UK is currently in the eye of a storm called the Global Energy Crisis, but our tiny island seems to be taking harsh hits in comparison to other countries. In the UK, we're particularly affected because 85% of our households use gas boilers to heat homes, and 40% of electricity is generated within our gas-fired power stations. This is higher than any other European country.

Due to this, many people have been left wondering whether gas or electric is cheaper in an attempt to curb the increasing energy bills. 

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As a society, our energy output is excessive. Electricity and natural gas are the most-used energy sources within homes, and they create greenhouse gases and air pollutants that are extremely harmful to the environment. To combat this, energy efficiency is essential. It helps consumers to reduce their energy consumption, utility costs and the impact of the carbon footprint.

Energy efficiency should be practiced by all households - it is an integral part of building a cleaner future. The UK have committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050. By being energy efficient, there is a chance that we will be able to achieve this target.

 

Does Energy Efficiency Reduce Bills? 

Yes! By lowering and prioritising your energy use, you'll see a reduction in your monthly bills. There are energy-efficient products on the market which may initially cost more, but they will undoubtedly save you more money over time. 

Interestingly, according to the Department of Energy & Climate Change, small and medium sized businesses could reduce their energy bills by up to 25% by installing energy efficient measures and practicing behavioural change.

 

What is Energy Efficiency? 

Energy efficiency, in its simplest form, is using less energy to perform the same task, thus eliminating energy waste.

A good example of this would be energy-efficient LED light bulbs - they are able to produce the same amount of light as incandescent light bulbs, but they use up to 80% less electricity. 

 

How To Be Energy Efficient 

If you'd like to start implementing energy efficient practices, then these small changes from the Energy Saving Trust are a good place to start.

Install a smart meter 

Smart meters are able to give you real-time information on your energy use. This way, you'll be able to manage your usage better so you can save money and reduce harmful emissions

Draught-proof windows and doors

Naturally, your home will lose heat through draughts around entryways, gaps and windows. With the winter months creeping in, there's no doubt that homes will suddenly get a lot colder. 

To combat this, you could invest in professional draught-proofing. This can cost around £225 on average, but the long-term benefits outweigh the upfront cost. You could save up to £125 every year on energy bills if you take the plunge and draught-proof your property. 

Second guess your washing routine

By putting more thought into your weekly clothes wash, you could save yourself around £34 a year. Avoid using higher temperatures as this uses up more energy, and try to limit your clothes wash to once a week.

Lights out!

Start a habit of turning off a light when you leave an area within a home. We're all guilty of it, but you could save almost £20 a year!

If you want to go the extra mile, swap all of your bulbs for energy efficient LEDS along with integrated sensors and timers for lights to ensure they're only on when they need to be. 

 

What Are the Benefits of Energy Efficiency? 

There are no disadvantages to being energy efficient - so it's a win-win situation! 

  • Reduce air pollution

Air pollution is one of the world's single biggest environmental risks to human health. Energy efficiency can reduce both indoor and outdoor concentrations of air pollutions. 

  • Improve health and wellbeing

Energy efficiency supports good mental and physical health by creating a healthy living environment for society. Recent evidence from the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that chronic thermal issues and fuel poverty also have negative mental health effects such as increased anxiety, stress and depression.

  • Lower your own energy prices

By using less energy, your monthly energy bill will reduce. You can also lower energy prices in general by reducing the need to add expensive power generation through reducing the pressure on energy resources. 

  • Improve energy access

Continuing from the point above, if you do this, energy will become a more accessible source due to the lack of pressurised demand. 


At Access Training, we train our Gas and Electric Engineers for a sustainable future

We believe in quality trade education that lasts, for the peace of mind of our students and any customers that they work for in the future. Take a look at our range of electric and gas courses and get in touch at 0800 345 7492 to contribute to a more energy-efficient future.

Gas Courses     Electrical Courses

 

The cost-of-living crisis is affecting many homes and families within the UK - inflation is at a high of 10.1%, and there is no denying that times are incredibly tough. Gas and electric bills in the UK have seen a huge increase, with most people paying around £1570 more per year to fuel their homes. With households majorly limiting their gas and electric usage, there's a possibility that best practices for safety surrounding these utilities could be put on the back burner. But why? 

The Gas Safe Register has released that a third of homes do not have yearly gas safety checks due to the cost-of-living crisis. According to Checkatrade.com, the average cost of a gas appliance check is around £80. For many, this is a huge expense that can seemingly be avoided. It's a difficult situation wherein people are attempting to scrape back costs by sacrificing safety. Clare Nasir, Meteorologist and TV weather presenter stated: 

'While planning to turn off your heating for the months ahead, it's imperative that homeowners are prioritising gas safety in their homes and ensuring they do not skip their annual gas safety checks. Although homeowners, understandably so, are concerned about the increased cost of living - there are real risks to health, wealth and safety linked to not servicing and safety checking their gas appliances and boilers.' 

 

When Should I Have My Boiler Serviced? 

Ideally, you should have your boiler serviced annually to ensure that it's working at peak efficiency, and to weed out any maintenance issues that could cause a risk to your safety. 

A gas engineer will check the condition of the boiler, along with the flue and chimney, as well as checking the pressure and temperature settings. Most importantly, a gas engineer will check for any leaks, blocked vents or signs of erosion or corrosion to identify any carbon monoxide risks.

 

Why Should I Have My Boiler Serviced?

A boiler service is an extremely important preventative measure - whilst it costs money upfront, you could easily incur the price of a service, and more, through repair issues down the line if you choose to not have it done. There are many benefits to having your boiler serviced, which make it worth the upfront cost:

  1. It keeps your boiler working efficiently 
  2. It will help you to avoid high costs of repairs in the future
  3. It maintains the safety of your boiler
  4. It ensures that your manufacturer's warranty remains valid

 

What Will Happen If I Don't Service My Boiler? 

By neglecting your boiler and failing to get it serviced, your home can become a very dangerous place extremely quickly. In the worst case scenario, a faulty boiler could cause a small explosion and reap damage to your property, alongside causing serious injury to any inhabitants.

In summer this year, a house in Birmingham had an explosion due to a gas leak from internal piping within the boiler, ending the life of one woman.

Not only that, but you could also be at high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning which is potentially fatal.


At Access Training, we train our Gas Engineers to the highest possible standard for your safety

We believe in quality trade education that lasts, for the peace of mind of our students and any customers that they work for in the future. For more resources regarding Gas Safety, take a look at our resources below. 

Gas Safety Tips    Why Do Gas Engineers Have to be Gas Safe Registered?

 

Gas boilers are an incredibly popular option for home heating. A whopping 78% of UK households use gas to heat their homes, with just the remaining 22% using alternatives like electricity and oil.

However, with modern science making us more and more aware of the adverse effects that gas can have on the environment, money is being poured into finding a plausible alternative.

Enter heat pumps.

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Gas engineer in training

Gas-fuelled appliances can be very dangerous if they're not installed correctly. Because of this, gas appliances should ONLY be installed and serviced by competent, qualified gas engineers.

Here in the UK, gas fitters are legally required to join the Gas Safe Register before carrying out any gas work. The Gas Safe Register website makes it easy to...

  • Check whether your gas engineer is registered
  • Report illegal gas work

Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI in 2009, and since then, it has been the sole official gas registration body for the United Kingdom (as well as the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey).

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Let's be clear about the answer to this; No, they are not and here’s why:

 

Firstly, let's be clear about what this means; right now registered gas engineers can still install and replace a gas boiler with a combi gas boiler. These boilers must, however, be of Boiler Plus Standard in England (in Wales the rules vary due to property type). This covers the vast majority of housing stock in the UK and will remain so for decades to come so there will be no shortage of boiler work for installers for the foreseeable future.

So why the confusion about new builds you may ask? Well it has come about from the erroneous inclusion of a comment in the government's latest Ten Point Plan that the Prime Minister announced days ago, for a Green Industrial Revolution that gave a promise to outlaw gas boilers in new homes by 2023. The plan gave a pledge to implement the Future Home Standard in a shorter space of time, followed by many within the industry asking questions about this bold line. It turns out that it was included in error and was hastily retracted. But confusion still reigns, with questions such as, ‘are we going to stop installing gas boilers in homes?’ as a typical example. 

The rules only affect new builds. It's an inevitability that the installation of gas central heating appliances in new build properties will be banned, alternative means of heating including heat pumps or hydrogen boilers or electric boilers will have to be specified by developers. However, these technologies are far from being installed in great numbers as yet with further technological developments needed before they are both widely available and able to deliver reliable heating results.

For more background on this we need to look at The Future Home Standard which is due to come to fruition from 2025. The government is now extending the Green Homes Grant for another year according to the aims set out the Heat and Buildings Strategy for 2021 and the government’s Ten Point Plan also supports the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which says that all new developments in the UK are required to be nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB) before 2021. Hence why everyone is confused; the timeline is short and becoming condensed. Kevin Wellman, CEO of CIPHE was quoted in PHAM News on this subject: 



“The infrastructure will not be in place by 2023 to abolish gas boilers. The Hydrogen network is not due to be trialled at scale (in limited areas) until 2023 and heat pump production will need to increase significantly to reach demand.”



The bottom line is that existing properties will not be affected by the legislation and are expected to be able to use gas boilers for the foreseeable future. The government has a commitment to Net Zero by 2050, so it’s true that natural gas fired boilers are time limited and technology will inevitably change, but not for another 30 years. 

Overall, the industry will take many, many years to adapt and gas boilers will exist in millions of properties for many years to come. They will all need servicing and maintaining and replacing and there still remains the problem that there are not enough Gas Engineers to carry out this work at present.

Whether you want a new career as a Gas Engineer, expand your existing services or need to renew your gas certificates we are here to help you get there through our bespoke gas training courses.

Talk to us about our gas training courses now!



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