Wolseley UK has set up a national training course on green technology for staff at Pipe Center and Climate Center.

The scheme is designed to update branch staff on cutting-edge low-carbon and sustainable technology, to enable them to support customers in harnessing the latest appropriate systems.

It focuses on “buildings of the future” and the kinds of low-carbon technology they will use. Technologies include ground source, air source and water source heat pumps, Combined Heat and Power (CHP), solar thermal systems for hot water generation, solar photovoltaics for producing electricity, biomass boilers, and water harvesting systems.

The course also covers the legislative framework for heating, cooling and ventilating buildings, including government grants and incentives available for adopting green solutions. This includes updates on the Feed-in Tariff, the Green Deal and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The course, devised by Wolseley UK’s technical support team, will also address the legal requirements relating to technology and building standards and the penalties for non-compliance.

Wayne Calland-Hewitt, who designed the course, said: “The response of staff who have attended the course so far has been extremely enthusiastic. So much is happening at the moment in terms of new technology and changes in the framework of incentives and grants. We believe it is vital to ensure staff are kept fully up to date, so they can help customers make the most of opportunities to harness new technology.”

The national roll-out is already under way and will run until the end of the year. The company is already planning a follow-up course highlighting developments in heat recovery systems, underfloor heating and district heating systems.