Eight golden tickets took a group of installers to ESBE’s Reftele factory in Sweden for an intensive, though entertaining two-day course, where they were able to hone their skills and familiarise themselves with a selection of pumps and valves, which have been specifically developed to improve the performance of heat pumps in both domestic and commercial projects.

The group of eight had all attended an industry training seminar last September at Kings Norton Golf Club, Birmingham, organised by iNstallD.This education hub was established by Dominic Eves, an engineer with wide experience in renewables, who is a strong advocate of ESBE technology and who was instrumental in getting the manufacturer to support the event. Over the two days at the golf club, 10 presentations were delivered by technically qualified industry figures to a total of 60 delegates. Amongst the speakers, ESBE’s Nigel Raper offered a perspective on the importance of a valve’s Kvs rating to get the best from heat pumps.

Dominic reflected: “The winners of the golden tickets represented quite a cross-section of professionals from the sector, including a British Gas engineer and a husband and wife team who run their own business, all keen to understand more about getting the best from air and ground source heat pumps. Having flown from Manchester and Heathrow, the members of the group settled into the Hespravikm Hotel and Spa on the Sunday evening, close to the ESBE plant, ready for an early start in the morning. A key differentiator with ESBE is that they like to get installer feedback on new products and actively listen to what people think so that ideas can be incorporated into the final designs, which I really like. They looked after us really well throughout the trip, while it is also impressive to see how engaged ESBE is with its local community where it is a big employer. The place has a real family vibe.”

Nigel Raper, who was appointed as technical manager at ESBE’s Rossendale headquarters last year, commented: “The products we concentrated on over the two days in Sweden were our rotary valves and circulation units – often referred to as pump groups – while also discussing about how the new anti-freeze valve could be fine-tuned to suit UK conditions. Even in their down-time during the trip they were still talking about heat pump installs – and how to improve the efficiency. It was impressive to spend time with them, while for their part, the group seemed blown away by the heritage of ESBE as a company. The engagement was such that it turned out to be our longest ever factory tour ever at some 2.5 hours: because as well as giving visitors a tour of the production and research areas, where they can see the conditions our components are manufactured under, we also have a museum which charts the development of different products as well as that of the business.”