Interview with Michael O’Shea, Senior Project Officer at LIT
How does Limerick Institute of Technology intend to increase user demand for heat pumps skills?
HP4ALL’s objective of increasing end-user demand for heat pumps (HP) skills is about providing knowledge to end-users on the critical aspects of an HP system during the design, procurement, installation, commissioning, and handover phase. Increasing end-user knowledge will help create the conditions that drive demand for highly skilled designers, installers, and commissioners of HP systems.
In Ireland, the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) will focus on engaging end-users in both the residential and non-residential sector. Residential end-users consist of homeowners, tenants, and multiple-unit owner and managers, while non-residential end-users consist of building and facility owners, and managers. Initial engagement will be established through the extensive LIT network and media campaigns. Knowledge transfer activities in the form of bespoke workshops, webinars, site visits and focus groups will follow end-user initial engagement and provide a forum for learning, debate, and exchange of ideas. In Austria, the focus will be on large scale HP, while in Spain the focus will be on HPs under the control of public bodies.
End users who have engaged with LIT and HP4ALL will be given the opportunity to receive additional support from the HP4ALL project if the end-user is considering the installation of an HP. This will be one of the main measures to calculate the success of the pilot project. To support this process, LIT will engage with HP system designers, specifiers, installers, and commissioners and offer training and support in HP standards, best practice guidance, further training, etc.
