North East building services firm John N Dunn Group is upskilling its workforce to take advantage of increasing demand for air source heat pumps in the residential property market.
The North Tyneside-based firm has completed a major training programme which has seen 40 members of its team gaining new industry accreditations from the British Plumbing Employers Council (BPEC) that allow them to safely undertake work on these advanced energy systems.
The team is already working on a number of air source heat pumps installation schemes, including new large-scale residential developments in the North East, Yorkshire and Scotland, and it is now actively looking to bring in further contracts.
The project is part of John N Dunn Group’s ongoing diversification to take advantage of growing opportunities within the low carbon and renewable energy technologies sector.
The company is already an Office for Zero Emission Vehicles-approved installer, with its expert teams specifying the charging infrastructure chosen to meet each client’s specific needs, completing the required ground works and managing the installation of the infrastructure and back office management systems.
It is also active in the photovoltaics sector, installing solar energy systems on a growing number of both domestic and commercial properties, and is Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited for the installation of solar PV and heat pumps.
John N Dunn Group currently operates between South Yorkshire and central Scotland, and work with many of the UK’s major housing developers and associations, as well as commercial contractors.
Chairman Stephen Bilclough says: “We’ve been extending our services over the last decade to meet growing demand for renewable energy and low carbon solutions, and the significant training investment we’ve now made in our team is the latest step in that continuing process.
“There’s a real focus from both housebuilders and the government on the installation of air source heat pumps as a way of maximising the environment performance of the heating systems in new homes, but there’s also a shortage of the qualified expertise required to do the job.
“The training that our team has now been through means we’re ready to take on even more air source heat pump contracts, and we’re confident that there will be substantial opportunities available for us to put these new skills into action for both new and existing clients.
“Work on renewables and low carbon projects has been becoming progressively more important to the business in recent years, and we now have a clear track record for delivering the green energy projects that more and more clients are demanding.”