The ‘Know Your Power’ roadshow is touring Wales to encourage everyone in the supply chain from tradespeople, professionals and students to learn the skills necessary to help decarbonise Welsh housing.
The ‘Know Your Power’ training module is a collaboration between the Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC) at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and Sero, a Wales-based energy tech company. The module will undertake a first-of-its-kind road trip across all of Wales and demonstrate to attendees the benefits of engaging with low-carbon technologies.
Fossil fuels can no longer be used to heat newly built social housing. Very soon, 1.4 million homes* will need to reach the highest environmental standards possible if Welsh Government are to reach their targets for Net Zero. As a result, there is a huge opportunity for students and professionals working in the construction industry to support the effort to reduce carbon emissions by adapting and future-proofing their skills and knowledge.
Know Your Power includes operational models of these pieces of green tech — ground and air source heat pumps, battery storage, EV charging, solar glass, and underfloor heating — amongst many others. This allows beneficiaries to gain the practical, hands-on skills training that is so valuable for tradespeople and professionals alike.
Gareth Evans, Head of CWIC, commented: “As we head towards net zero, more and more individuals need support to adapt to a changing industry. Lots of people learnt their trade before green tech became ‘mainstream’. This initiative will ensure that anyone who attends, regardless of their experience and expertise, can feel confident and capable when faced with the exciting opportunity provided by decarbonisation.”
Andy Sutton, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Sero, said: “Net zero is about everybody moving forward together to reduce the carbon impact of our homes. Individuals and organisations in construction have a key part to play in our journey towards achieving this. Collaboration within the industry is essential to help underpin the development of skills and expertise required in Wales. As such, we look forward to working with CWIC to enable Know Your Power and help deliver net zero in all our homes.”
The module is housed in Swansea and will soon take to the road. If you are interested in visiting or booking a session, you can see where the facility is and where it will be next by emailing cwic@uwtsd.ac.uk.
*Recommendation 2 of Welsh Government’s Independent review on decarbonising Welsh homes suggests the following action — “By 2050 the housing stock must be retrofitted to beyond SAP90 to achieve an EPC Band A rating, recognising that not all homes will be able to achieve this.” Wales’s housing stock consists of 1.4 million homes. Welsh Government’s approach encourages all homes to achieve appropriate performance standards by 2050.
