June 2003
Leeding the way
The Institute of Plumbing's Conference 2003, held in Leeds from 29th May to 1st June, was a resounding success. The theme was "New Technology and Regulations Engines for Change" and it attracted nearly 300 delegates, families and exhibitors.The conference was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Neil Taggart, and Alan Woollaston, Past Master of The Worshipful Company of Plumbers, introduced the speakers over the two-day period. On Friday morning, Paul Everall - Head of Building Regulations Division, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - gave a talk on how aspects of the Buildings Regulations are changed because of Government policy (i.e. Energy White Paper), Response to events (such as September 11th), Pressure Groups and the changing appreciation of risks to health and safety. He also talked about the need for self-certification.
Peter Ransom, Home Technology Business Manager for British Gas, followed on. He talked about remote diagnostics and the benefits of this technology for the home owner and engineers. According to Peter, The Application Home Initiative (TAHI), which will enable this technology to work, will be launched in 2004. Information will be transmitted via the Gateway to the call centre on a regular basis, which will be analysed to see if any problems are developing. Through this technology it will be possible to predict when a boiler is about to fail. Next on the platform was Matthew Gordon, Manager Product Programmes, Honeywell Control Systems Ltd. Matthew gave a presentation on some of the driving factors and resulting changes that will have a major impact on the heating industry. He too talked of the networked home of the not too distant future and how the Internet could revolutionise our lives.
Ron Berry, Managing Director of Courtprice Ltd, Insurance Brokers to the Institute, detailed the reasons for the growing increase in insurance premiums. Ron said that in some cases costs had arisen by 500%, which literally put people out of business. Ron assured members that the Institute's schemes still provided big savings. After lunch the outgoing President Alan Carlyle IEng LCGI FIOP RP, thanked the staff at Head Office and Branch members for all their help. The AGM followed and the annual report was adopted. Elections then took place and Eric Mace LCGI EngTech FIOP RP was elected as the new IoP National President. Len Gold EngTech MIP RP is now the Vice-President of the Institute. John Mayfield was re-elected as Treasurer and Brian Whorlow IEng FIOP RP was voted on to the Board of Trustees for a three-year term.
It was announced that the Plymouth, South Devon and Cornwall Branch was this year's winner of the Jimmy Haig Cup and a special award of £200 went to Newcastle Branch.
On Saturday the first presentation was given by Duncan Mara, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds. Professor Mara's presentation brought home the disturbing reality of water supply and sanitation in poor countries. For example, at the end of the year 2000 there were 1.1 billion people in developing countries without an adequate water supply. He ended by saying, "Water is life, sanitation is dignity".
Martyn Griffiths, Technical Director, Baxi Potterton New Design, talked about Domestic Combined Heat & Power and Fuel Cell Technology. Martyn explained how these systems work and said that although it would take some time before these systems were common place, everyone would benefit.
The next speaker, Alan Sims, Technical Services Manager for Ideal Boilers, explained how Part L has affected the heating systems and what is needed to comply with this part of the Building Regulations.
Alternative Power was the subject of Peter Billins, Chief Executive of British BioGen. Peter told the audience that after 2060 it is predicted that there will be no more gas. Although he painted a bleak picture for the Earth's energy resources, Peter balanced the talk with actions we can take. This included using solar energy and harvesting wood, such as willow to convert to pellets for fuel.
The Secretary of the Women in Plumbing Group (WIP), Carol Cannavan, gave a short progress report on what the Group had achieved and introduced a number of WIP members to detail their involvement. There has been a huge media interest in the Group since it was formed in August 2002 and this has helped to raise awareness for women who may not have considered the many opportunities open to them in the plumbing industry.
Simon Bartley, Chairman of the SummitSkills Implementation Group, gave an overview of the current situation with respect to training. He told the audience that we need to encourage an environment where employees are willing to train.
The final speaker was Chris Sneath, Chairman of The Plumbing and Heating Industry Alliance (PHIA). Chris said that membership was growing and that five groups had been set up to progress the sector's needs. These groups are: Communications, IT; Education and Training; Image and Promotion; Representations to Government and Supply Chain. Chris urged everyone to support PHIA as it has a direct voice to government. Eric Mace closed the conference and thanked the stewards and Allan Woollaston for their help. He also gave a special mention to Hepworth Plumbing for the staging for the conference.
ENDS (865 WORDS)
June 2003
