Is it worth becoming a Gas Engineer?
There's a UK shortage of Gas Engineers
Major Shortage of Gas Engineers
There is currently a major shortage of Gas Engineers in the UK, this is only going to get worse over the coming years, as 50% of current engineers working in the industry are over the age of 55. There are currently not enough new engineers entering the industry.
So this is a great time to become a Gas Engineer, not just for the short term, but for a life time career.
Misinformation about the Phasing out of Gas Boilers
Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation in the press about phasing out installation of Gas Boilers from 2025 and a lack of understanding by the general public on what that means.
Currently it is the Government’s ‘aim’ not to manufacture Natural Gas and Oil Boilers from 2035, many in the industry already believe that this target will be put further back to a much later date due to the shear scale of logistics of upgrading and installing new infrastructure.
Added to the fact that there are over 55 million Gas/Oil boilers that will still need to be serviced and maintained past this date.
Also, although it is the ‘aim’ to stop manufacturing of Natural Gas Boilers, it is the aim to replace these with new Hydrogen Gas Boilers.
Here we try to debunk some of the misinformation and confusion:
- Gas Boilers Banned from 2025 – fact this is only for new build properties, you can still buy Gas Boilers from this date
- You have to get rid of your Boiler by 2025 - this is one of the biggest myths, you can buy and install Gas Boilers in all properties except new builds, you can replace your existing Gas Boiler with another Gas Boiler
- Gas Boilers are slowly being phased out - the Government's plan is to install non-Gas Boilers in new properties only, there is no plan to phase them out in older properties, the plan is to simply tweak the way they work or what gas they burn
- You will be fined if you do not replace your old Gas boiler after 2025 - the fact is, you will not be fined, you can continue to buy and install new Gas Boilers after this date
- You must switch to a new Gas Boilers after 2025 – fact, you do not need to renew your boiler after that date, but when it is time to renew your old one you can replace it with the new efficient Gas boilers or replace it with a Hydrogen Ready Boiler which would be the preferred option
- Gas Boilers will no longer be for sale – fact, you will still be able purchase Gas Boilers, they are the new 95%+ efficient boilers and Hydrogen Ready Boilers
Information about Hydrogen Boilers
The Replacement of Natural Gas to Hydrogen Gas is well on the way, with a number of experiments/ trials taking place around the country for a number of years, most manufacturers have also produced Hydrogen Ready Boilers, and the Government has committed to setting up and funding factories to produce hydrogen gas.
So the question is not will Hydrogen Boilers be introduced, it is when, as it will be the chosen and main source of fuel for future heating systems in the UK.
The Hydrogen standards for future Hydrogen Gas Engineers has already been produced, it currently states that in order to become a Hydrogen Gas Engineer, you need to first be a Natural Gas Engineer, who has been registered with Gas Safe for a minimum of two years, and hold the following Nat Gas qualifications:
- CCN1 (Core Gas Safety)
- CENWAT (Central Heating Boilers & Water Heaters)
- CKR1 (Cookers)
- HTR1 (Fires & Heaters)
- MET1 (Meters)
If this criteria has been met, you will then be able to take the relevant Hydrogen add-on qualification.
Changing over to Hydrogen will be a major undertaking of work, as every Natural Gas appliance in the UK will need to be renewed (or adapted, if a hydrogen ready appliance has already been installed).
This will not be the first time that this sort of major change has happened with Gas in the UK, for those old enough to remember, back in the late 60s/early 70s the UK changed from Town Gas (Coal Gas) to Natural Gas (North Sea Gas). If you speak to Gas Engineers who were working at this time, they will tell you that they were out working 7 days per week 18 hours a day, and were earning vast sums of money, this will be the case again.
So is it worth becoming a Gas Engineer?
Only if you want a career for life, guaranteed work, great rates of pay and excellent earning potential.
If you are interested in becoming a Gas Engineer please contact Gas Training & Assessment, we have over 26 years' of experience in training Gas Engineers, we are well respected within the industry, and are the second to none for value for money on all of our Gas courses.
