Achi news desk-
“We promote renewable energy and low carbon solutions for heating, but it has to be for the right situation and the right property.
“In every home design, you have to start with insulation. If a home is poorly insulated and you go straight ahead to install a heat pump, you will end up with a very expensive system that struggles to heat the home.
“I myself live in a stone cottage and it would cost me tens of thousands of pounds to bring the insulation up to the required standard,” he said.
MacGregor also points out that the Scottish Government’s target of installing 600,000 heat pumps in Scottish homes by 2028 is completely unattainable.
“We have a huge shortage of certified heat pump installers.
“So far, we have about one-tenth of that number installed, so we have a lot of catching up to do, through new installations, to get close to that figure ,” he said.
The company is MCS certified for heating installation designs, rather than doing the actual installation.
As MacGregor explains, getting the heat to flow through the house is only one part of the problem.
“When you switch from a combi boiler, which by definition provides heat and hot water, suddenly you need to install a hot water cylinder for your bath, sink and shower. Finding a place for a hot water cylinder can be a deal breaker in a cottage or small house. Eventually, you may have to give up part of a bedroom to find room for a cupboard to house the boiler. This is also true of some of the modern, smaller homes.”
William Wilson is in the business of providing solutions that people want and with the current focus on climate change, heat pumps definitely have a part to play. People want to at least consider installing one.
However, it notes that grid connectivity is a problem in many parts of Scotland.
“If we had a sudden, universal, widespread use by the public of heat pump solutions, with people changing lots of combi boilers, not only because there are not enough designers and installers, grid connectivity would be a challenge. In many places it would make the change over impossible as things are at the moment,” he said.
Another factor that people have to think about, despite the fact that the government is encouraging them to install low carbon solutions, is that we are currently in a transitional period, and the path forward is uncertain.
“What happens if, in four or five years’ time, the hydrogen economy suddenly takes off and we’ve piped hydrogen gas? That would probably be a lot cheaper than a heat pump solution for a lot of people, as well as being a more carbon neutral or carbon-free solution.”
MacGregor says his thriving business is currently still selling more new combi boilers than heat pumps, but there are also some signs that the trend is certainly changing towards heat pumps.
Marketing Manager Dave Reid added: “William Wilson is one of the largest stockists of Air Source Heat Pumps in Scotland. We have been supplying renewable energy products to the heating industry in Scotland since 2005. Over the past five years William Wilson has sold over 12,000 heat pumps in Scotland.
“We hold over £1M in stock of renewable products such as Mitsubishi Ecodan, Vaillant aroTHERM and Grant Aerona. We can also supply other types of heat pumps such as Samsung and Panasonic. We have an MCS compliant heating design service available, with seven trained in-house heating designers.
“William Wilson trades from 22 locations in Scotland, so it is highly likely that we will have a branch near you for your convenience. William Wilson has been supplying heat pumps to the Scottish Government for over five years. We also supply many local authorities, housing associations and house builders.”
www.williamwilson.co.uk
