James Hargreaves Plumbing Supplies has committed £500,000 to open a dedicated Low Carbon Centre at its headquarters in Burnley.
James Hargreaves has teamed up with a number of global manufacturers to complete the training facility, which will incorporate a Daikin Sustainable Home Centre.
“This is a major step forward for us, a great new facility specifically designed to train heating engineers, installers and plumbers to be best-placed on delivering an efficient and effective low carbon future,” said Bill Davies, Sales Director at James Hargreaves.
The Low Carbon Centre showcases the leading low-carbon heating manufacturers. Inside, the technical workshop incorporates ‘live’ working displays to enable a unique ‘see and feel’ experience for tradespeople.
A purpose built training room has been designed to provide the space for trainees to obtain the skills and knowledge they need to become part of the UK’s low-carbon future, including domestic air source heat pumps, energy efficiency for domestic heating, water supply regulations, underfloor heating and system design.
“Our fully-qualified, in-house team and the Low Carbon Centre facility are now available to all heating engineers, installers or plumbers from across the UK, not just our existing customers,” said Mr Davies.
“Low carbon is the future, but it is still new territory for many working in the heating industry, bringing with it many questions and different demands. While these new technologies and associated products provide undoubted business opportunities, they can also lead to nervousness and concern.”
James Hargreaves believes that it is well placed to support the trade in the future and that, in turn, will help to generate further growth for a company that celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Bill Davies added: “First and foremost, we must ensure that all our customers - many that we already know well and others that we hope to get to know in the coming weeks and months - are completely comfortable with low carbon energy and have all the necessary skills, qualifications and training to install efficiently.”
