What is driving the shift to R290 refrigerant? Listen to this episode for some of the answers. In this episode of the Net Zero Heating Show, Matthew Beales, one of Grant UK’s Regional Sales Managers, is joined by Kelvin Kelly from Business Edge Ltd, and Rob Dyer, a Technical Sales Support Engineer at Grant UK, to discuss the adoption of R290 refrigerant in air source heat pumps and what it means for installers. Plus, listen to on-the-ground insight from InstallerSHOW 2025 to hear interviews from installers who have worked with the Aerona 290 heat pump and its controls. 

What’s discussed:

• The differences between R32 and R290 refrigerant 
• What installers need to know about working with R290 heat pumps
• Legislation and standards 
• Feedback from installers who have fitted a Grant R290 heat pump in their homes

Useful resources:

Grant UK’s Aerona 290 heat pump range launched in 2024 and features five R290 heat pump models, available in outputs from 4kW up to 15.5kW – discover the range here: www.grantuk.com/professional/products/air-source-heat-pumps/r290/. For free heat pump training, Grant UK’s Training Academy deliver a 1-day Aerona 290 Heat Pump Installer Course – enquire here: www.grantuk.com/professional/training/courses/grant-aerona-r290-air-source-heat-pumps/.

Kelvin Kelly is the Training Director for Business Edge Ltd, Chairman of the Air Conditioning Industry Board Training and Skills Committee, and a Fellow of the Institute of Refrigeration. For over 40 years, Kelvin has been working in the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry and specifically in training and assessment for 35 years. He was involved in the creation of the current F-Gas assessment for two out of the three schemes in the UK and has also been involved in supporting training and assessment schemes in developing countries. 

Rob Dyer has been working in the heating industry for over 20 years, starting his career with specialising in controls wiring and HVAC systems in the commercial sector before moving into the domestic and commercial renewables sector as an installer. With experience in MCS installations, Rob has worked with a wide variety of renewable heating systems from biomass and solar PV through to solar thermal and air source heat pumps. In 2022, Rob joined Grant UK as their Technical Sales Support Engineer for the East of England and the Midlands, providing on-site heat pump and controls support for installers and other customers. 

This episode was recorded on 7th July 2025.

Join Rob Dyer, one of Grant UK’s Technical Sales Support Engineers, who talks to Damon Blakemore, of Blakemore Renewables, to discuss the important role that controls play in an air source heat pump system. During this episode, Rob and Damon talk about the different types of heat pump systems, load compensation and the heating curve, and the ways a heat pump controller can positively or negatively affect a system. Damon also shares insight into some of his recent heat pump installations and installing Grant’s Aerona Smart Controller. 

What’s discussed: 

• S-Plan and Open Loop air source heat pump systems
• The role of correctly set-up heat pump controls
• Installing the Aerona Smart Controller and its core features

Useful resources:
To read more about the Aerona Smart Heat Pump Controller and to access the technical specifications and manual for this product, please visit www.grantuk.com/professional/products/air-source-heat-pumps/aerona-controls. If you are interested in product training on the Aerona Smart Controller, which is provided in the free 1-day Aerona 290 Installer course, please visit www.grantuk.com/professional/training/courses/grant-aerona-r290-air-source-heat-pumps or contact Grant UK’s Training Team directly via [email protected].

Damon Blakemore has been working in the plumbing and heating industry for nearly 20 years. In recent years, he has discovered a real passion for renewables and Damon has been recognised as one of the leading renewable specialists in the North of England, winning Installer of the Year for Yorkshire and the Humber in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Based in Sheffield, Blakemore Renewables has completed projects nationwide and Damon’s dedication to the renewables sector has also seen him receive several national awards, including winning Silver National Winner and Most Sustainable Installer 2024.

This episode was recorded on 29th August 2024. To watch this episode of the Net Zero Heating Show, please visit Grant UK’s YouTube Channel to view the video - www.youtube.com/MyGrantUK. 

Join Matthew Beales, Regional Sales Manager at Grant UK, and Rob Muldoon from the Mind Your Head Podcast as they talk about the important subject of mental health and wellbeing in the heating sector and wider construction industry. Matthew and Rob openly discuss the stresses faced by professionals working in these sectors as well the support available.

What’s discussed: 

• Common worries and stresses for heating professionals
• Personal experiences and the importance of talking
• Resources available to support mental wellbeing

Useful resources:
A wide range of help and support is available, whether you need someone to listen and talk to or want to access online resources. Follow the links below to view the extensive resources available to help mental health in the workspace:

• Mind Your Head Podcast – www.themyhpodcast.co.uk
• Construction Industry Helpline - www.constructionindustryhelpline.com 
• Samaritans - www.samaritans.org 
• Lighthouse Club - www.lighthouseclub.org 
• Mind - www.mind.org.uk

Rob Muldoon has been involved in the construction industry for 24 years, starting his career as an apprentice brick layer and now working as Project Manager. Rob founded the Mind Your Heat Podcast to help everyone who is working in the construction industry, whatever sector. Through his podcast and his nationwide talks, Rob strives to raise awareness about mental health, giving hope to listeners and letting people know they are not alone.

This episode was recorded on 22nd May 2024.

Join Terry Townend, Area Sales Manager at Grant UK, as he welcomes Griff Thomas from GTEC and Jez Climas from City Plumbing Supplies to discuss how the heat pump sector will achieve the installation targets set for the coming years. Terry, Griff and Jez discuss the opportunities and challenges around upscaling air source heat pump installations for heating engineers and merchants. 

What’s discussed: 

• Government targets and legislation
• Boiler Upgrade Scheme and MCS
• Heat pump training for installers

Useful resources:
Grant UK supply the award winning Aerona³ R32 air source heat pump range, the innovative Aerona Smart Controller and heat pump installation accessories. Discover their products here: www.grantuk.com/professional/products/air-source-heat-pumps.
To access further information about the courses delivered by Grant UK’s Training Academy, please visit www.grantuk.com/professional/training.

Griff Thomas is a renewables expert having overseen the development of many national renewable technology standards. He is the Managing Director at GTEC, a leading renewables training provider, delivering courses for heat pumps, solar and much more. Griff is also the MD for Heatly, an app which is in development that will provide a one-stop solution for the survey, design, installation and commissioning of heat pump systems. 

Jez Climas is the Head of Business Development for Renewables at City Plumbing Supplies. His career in renewables includes being a Building Services Consultant for 15 years before joining the merchant sector where he strives to make the lives of installers much easier when it comes to heat pump and renewable installations. 

This episode was recorded on 28th May 2024.

Join Matthew Beales, Regional Sales Manager at Grant UK, who talks to Paul Williams from Homely and Neil Sawers, Commercial Technical Manager at Grant UK, to discuss Homely optimisation controls and their compatibility with Grant Aerona³ R32 air source heat pumps. During this episode, Matt, Paul and Neil discuss the heat pump controls and their role in setting up and managing an efficient heat pump system. 

What’s discussed: 

• An introduction to Homely
• Optimisation controls and the core features of Homely
• Installing Homely with Grant Aerona³ R32 heat pumps

Useful resources:
To help heating professionals learn more about installing Homely controls with Aerona³ R32 heat pumps, a free online training course is available via the Grant eLearning Academy – simply visit www.grantelearning.com to login or create a new account, use the enrolment key PODCAST22. To learn more about Grant’s air source heat pump range, please visit www.grantuk.com/products/air-source-heat-pumps. 

Paul Williams is the Business Development Manager at Homely and has over 24 years experience in the HVAC industry, starting as an apprentice installer and progressing into sales and business development roles with HVAC manufacturers. Paul is responsible for the key strategic partnerships across the UK and Europe for Homely. 

This episode was recorded on 20th September 2023. 

Join Helen Rishworth, Content and Communications Manager at Grant UK, along with Stuart McWhinnie and Steve Burton from Grant UK’s in-house Design and Specification Team as they talk about all things relating to underfloor heating. Stuart and Steve discuss the features and benefits of underfloor heating systems as well as exploring the key factors relating to designing and installing this type of heat emitter. 

What’s discussed: 

• The benefits of an underfloor heating system
• The different types of UFH – traditional screeded, low profile & dry solutions
• The key considerations when it comes to UFH designs & installation

Useful resources:
Grant UK supply a broad range of UFH systems, accessories and controls so view the full Uflex offering here: www.grantuk.com/professional/products/underfloor-heating. To support customers with planning, specifying and designing underfloor heating systems, please contact their Design Team here - www.grantuk.com/professional/support/design. 

Stuart McWhinnie is Technical Design Manager at Grant UK and heads their Design and Specification Team. Stuart’s background is in electromechanical engineering and he has been working in the heating industry for over 20 years. 

Steve Burton is the Assistant Design Manager at Grant UK and works alongside Stuart and the team of Specification Technical Advisors. Steve ran a plumbing and heating company for 20 years installing gas, oil and renewable heating systems and laid his first UFH system over two decades ago.

This episode was recorded on 29th March 2023. 

Join Matthew Beales, Regional Sales Manager at Grant UK, as he interviews one of the leading female figures in the sustainable heating sector – Emma Morris, Underfloor Heating and Renewables Sales Consultant at E. Tupling distributors. In this episode, Matthew chats with Emma to learn more about her career, some of the challenges she has faced and her outlook on the industry in the years to come. 

What’s discussed: 

• Emma’s career so far – how it started & a typical day in her current role
• A look at the heating sector – what has changed & what needs to change
• Working towards Net Zero & the support needed 

Useful resources:
Grant UK deliver an extensive range of free online training for merchants and other heating professionals via the Grant eLearning Academy – follow the link here to read more: www.grantuk.com/professional/training/elearning-academy. And to discover their full range of sustainable heating products, please visit www.grantuk.com/professional/products. 

Emma Morris started working in the heating sector in 2017 and now specialises in renewables in her role at Tuplings where she provides support to merchants and their customers on air source heat pumps and renewable installation projects. She is currently training to be a gas engineer and is also aiming to be a fully qualified renewable heating engineer within the next eighteen months. 

This episode was recorded on 31st March 2023.

Join Matthew Beales, Regional Sales Manager at Grant UK, Rich Cartwright, Director and Innovator at Heat Engineer Software Ltd, and Neil Sawers, Grant UK’s Commercial Technical Manager, to explore the retrofit market, discussing the energy saving measures existing housing stock can adopt as well as looking at heat pump and hybrid solutions for retrofit installations.

What’s discussed: 

• Insulating our homes and reducing heat loss
• Retrofit heat pump installations – what to remember
• Hybrid technologies & their opportunities 

Useful resources:
Grant UK deliver a range of resources to help homeowners and installers learn more about renewable heating. Homeowners can visit www.grantuk.com/knowledge-hub and heating professionals can head to www.grantuk.com/professional/training. 

Rich Cartwright has 15 years of heat pump experience within different engineering roles and he is Director and Innovator for Heat Engineer Software Ltd who develop software which is user friendly, helping installers with heat pump sizing and heating designs. 

This episode was recorded on 31st October 2022. 

This episode explores a selection of common myths and misconceptions about air source heat pumps. Kevin Ellis, Renewables Sales Manager at Grant UK, picks up this conversation with Roly Gurner from Oceanair Distribution and Neil Sawers, Grant UK’s Commercial Technical Manager, who discuss the facts when it comes to heat pump technology. 

What’s discussed: 

• Heat pumps’ suitability for new and existing homes
• Heat pump installation and running costs
• Maintaining heat pumps – servicing & lifespan

Useful resources:
For support specifying and designing heat pump systems, please visit www.grantuk.com/professional/support/design. To read more about heat pumps, legislation and more, visit our Home Heating Blog: www.grantuk.com/about/blog. 

Roly Gurner has been involved in the heat pump and renewables sector for 12 years, working for an installation and maintenance company before joining Oceanair Distribution, an Air to Water Specialist who support installers with heat pump designs, installation and technical support.

This episode was recorded on 31st October 2022.

In this episode, part of Series II of the Net Zero Heating Show, Kevin Ellis, Grant UK’s Renewables Sales Manager, is joined by Steve Alldritt, Technical Director for the City Plumbing Energy Efficiency Team, and Jack McGovern, Managing Director of Lincolnshire installation company The Glow Group Ltd, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the heating sector. 

What’s discussed: 

• Key changes in the heating sector in recent years
• Looking ahead with low carbon heating – education, infrastructure & 2025
• In-depth perspectives from a merchant and an installer

Useful resources:
To complete online training about renewable heating and more, join Grant UK’s eLearning Academy: www.grantuk.com/professional/training/elearning-academy. For specification resources for Grant renewable heating products, head to: www.grantuk.com/professional/specificationhub. 

Steve Alldritt has been involved in the heating industry for 35 years, specialising in renewables and underfloor heating systems for the last two decades, and working within the City Plumbing Supplies business for 10 years. 

Jack McGovern has been installing heating systems for over 15 years and is the Founder and Business Owner of The Grow Group Ltd who are an installation and servicing company working with heat pumps and boilers. 

This episode was recorded on 13th October 2022.