MCS showcases the Future Installer at Futurebuild 2022

16th March 2022

From 1 – 3 March, MCS attended Futurebuild 2022, one of the UK’s leading trade shows for innovative technologies from the construction, infrastructure and energy sectors.

MCS was central to the Future Installer zone, with renewable energy installers and manufacturers taking part in our best display yet. What’s more, we were included on this year’s Futurebuild Innovation Trail, showcasing our commitment to home-grown energy, quality and skills.

The MCS Team and stand sharers standing in front of the Future Installer stand

This year, we were joined by numerous stand sharers:

  • Battery manufacturers, AceOn, showcased its latest battery products, including their new AceOnPES portable solar energy unit.
  • Viridian Solar exhibited its innovative roof-integrated solar PV system on an eye-catching mock roof display
  • MCS certified Installers from Thermal Earth, Groundtherm and Matrix Energy Systems were on hand to demonstrate the future of UK home heating – heat pumps. They brought along a working MasterTherm ground/water source heat pump, which pulled in many visitors looking for an interactive experience
  • Heat pump manufacturer, Viessmann, were our stand neighbours this year but still showcased an air source heat pump on our stand
  • New for this year was biomass distributor, Firepower, equipped with an MCS certified biomass boiler to help explain how even off-grid housing can still be sustainable.
  • Lastly, we partnered with trade association Solar Energy UK, with policy experts providing installers with the most up-to-date insights from the solar sector.

Futurebuild is always a fantastic way to bring together net-zero leaders across different industries. Here are some of the highlights from our week:

 

Day 1: Tuesday 1 March

Futurebuild got underway on a busy first day, despite the Tube strike’s best efforts! We hit the ground running, with our team meeting hundreds of people throughout the day.

We were visited on-stand by Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow and chair of the Environmental Audit Committee. It was exciting for our team to meet a policymaker so influential to our work and net-zero goals

Ian Rippin hosts his panel talk; from left to right: Laura Bishop, Ian Mather, Chris Galpin

In the afternoon, our CEO Ian Rippin hosted an interactive panel on Keynote Stage 2: Will government’s heating of domestic buildings strategies transform how we heat our homes? With leading figures from across the renewables industry, including BEIS, British Gas and the Ground Source Heat Pump Association, the panel shone a light on what the sector can expect in the UK domestic heating market in the coming years.

Chris Galpin, head of heat pump skills policy at BEIS, set the scene: “heating is responsible for over a third of [UK] emissions. We need to do something about it, and fast”. He told the audience that the industry would have to take a whole-house approach to effectively decarbonise homes.

Laura Bishop, chair of the GSHPA, revealed that there is “more interest in heat pumps than ever before” Meanwhile, Ian Mather of British Gas pointed out that the “quality of installation [of heat pumps] is absolutely key” and “the industry desperately needs more talent”.

It was also great to talk about our plans for the new Low Carbon Apprenticeship being developed between MCS and industry. Laura said: “it’s for anybody of any age to transfer their skills, as well as school leavers.”

After the panel, we hosted a drinks reception on our stand, bringing together our stand sharers, the keynote panel and visitors for a networking opportunity.

 

Day 2: Wednesday 2 March

The second day of Futurebuild was incredibly busy.

We talked to installers looking to get MCS certified, providing all the information they needed to complete the certification process.

Plus, we met consumers who were looking to install renewable technologies into their houses, from solar PV on residential blocks to heat pumps on a new-build eco house.

 

Day 3: Thursday 3 March

Mark Thompson, Managing Director at AceOn, meets Philip Dunne MP

The third and final day of Futurebuild brought with it more networking and live discussions.

Ian Rippin and Solar Energy UK’s Policy Manager Kevin McCann took to Keynote Stage 2 to discuss a new report, The Value of Solar Property. The findings offer real-world, practical insight into how solar PV affects both energy bills and house prices, including how solar PV can increase the price of a typical house by £1,800.

Kevin talked about how the 29 million homes in the UK need to be decarbonised through the coordination of different sectors and the need for financing to fund whole-house retrofit projects. To read the full report, click here.

Before the day wrapped up, some of our stand sharers then took to the Futurebuild Innovation Stage, sponsored by BEIS.

Paul Leedham, managing director at Matrix Energy Systems, introduced the new Low Carbon Technician Apprenticeship and what it means for the industry. He told the story of how his operations director, Chris, came up through an apprenticeship into a senior role within the business. The new apprenticeship will help those looking for green jobs to forge similar, long-lasting careers. It is set to launch in the 2022/23 academic year, so watch this space for more information.

Next up was Dr KT Tan, Viridian Solar’s chief technical officer, who revealed the direction the solar PV market was expected to take over the next few years. Talking about the latest cell technologies, Dr Tan said that “the single objective was to pack as much power as possible into one area”. He also described how solar PV would become part of the building fabric of the future, seamlessly intertwining with our low-carbon lifestyles.

Finally, AceOn Group’s managing director, Mark Thompson, took to the Innovation Stage to talk about the future of residential battery energy storage. He also announced exciting news: AceOn has partnered with energy supplier Rebel Energy to help lower the carbon footprint and energy bills of social and affordable housing tenants.

Thermal Earth’s Managing Director, Nick Salini, stands with his MCS certified MasterTherm heat pump

Over the three days at Futurebuild, we spoke to hundreds of visitors: from homeowners looking to add renewable technology to their properties, to manufacturers, installers, architects, specifiers, and policymakers.

Futurebuild is about how industries can come together to tackle climate change and meet our net-zero targets through innovation. Whether that’s cutting-edge renewable technologies and ways of working, or how we approach tackling our industries’ issues: sharing a platform where we can collaborate is key.

Head on over to the Futurebuild website to see some of the other highlights from the exhibition and check out our social channels for more posts.