Preparing Commercial HVAC engineers for Scotland’s 2045 net zero goal

To help Scotland meet its ambitious 2045 net zero target, Baxi urges commercial Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) Contractors and Consultants to upskill in low-carbon heating solutions.  

Baxi recently explored the challenges facing the heating industry in a podcast episode, where Technical Solutions Manager Alan Omand highlighted the importance of manufacturer training and pre-sales support to help drive Scotland’s transition to more sustainable heating solutions, including air source heat pumps and heat networks.  

Recorded live at Edinburgh Zoo and hosted by Anne Wraith, Head of Commercial Product Sales at Baxi, the podcast centres on Scotland’s ambitious, legally binding target of achieving Net Zero by 2045 – five years ahead of the rest of the UK. The Scottish government has set out its strategy for accomplishing this goal, which includes a switch from gas boilers or systems using oil, while commercial buildings will be required to connect to low-carbon district heating systems. As such, consultant engineers and contractors have a significant role to play in decarbonising heating systems across the commercial sector. The podcast episode addresses the common barriers – such as cost, time and space – and opportunities that building managers and heating professionals are faced with when upgrading heating systems from gas boilers to air source heat pumps.  

During the episode, Alan advised that contractors should be preparing themselves now for the changes that Net Zero is set to bring in the years ahead, before highlighting how training from Baxi can help them to develop “the skillset required to make their businesses evolve…on their journey towards Net Zero.”

The podcast includes insight from Technical Solutions Manager Colin Kirkwood on the various challenges experienced by consultant engineers in the move towards more sustainable practices, while providing examples of where Baxi’s solutions have been successfully implemented to meet the unique requirements of specific building projects. This includes Scotland’s first accredited Passivhaus Primary School, a project which saw Baxi support M&E Consultancy BakerHicks on the hot water design strategy and Passivhaus accreditation process. The hot water solution contributed to a Primary Energy Renewable reduction of 2.846 kWh/m2/year, with water storage reduced further by 25% from the original Point of Use exercise, and overall hot water Watts per Kelvin (W/K) heat loss value bettered by 30%.

Colin also looked at the role of hybrid solutions that combine a heat pump with a gas-fired boiler and/or water heater on projects where an all-electric solution is currently not feasible. As an early stage of decarbonisation, Colin sees this approach as providing a practical and actionable solution for building managers of harder-to-treat buildings.  

Speaking about the podcast, Anne Wraith said: "At Baxi, we recognise that commercial HVAC professionals in Scotland are incredibly busy – particularly as the focus shifts ever more intently towards Net Zero.   

"We’ve listened to the feedback from consultants and contractors and recognise how their habits are changing when it comes to accessing the information and support they need to carry out their jobs. We’ve experimented with this new podcast as a means of helping them to learn on the go and better understand how Baxi can help support them with training and pre-contract technical design services, to help them set pathways for their customers for decarbonisation by 2045."

The new podcast is available to watch on YouTube or can be listened to on Spotify.

To learn more, visit Navigating 2045 Net Zero.