PLUMBING & HEATING
Editor’s COMMENT RAISING THE BAR WITH HIGH-QUALITY WORK Our thanks to all those visiting, or exhibiting at, PLUMBEX Dublin. It was great to see so many familiar and new faces and we hope you enjoyed the show, whether you were buying, selling, learning about the latest market developments or just enjoying the opportunity to network with peers. PLUMBEX Dublin is going bigger and better at a new venue next September while, before that, PLUMBEX Belfast is coming to the Eikon Exhibition Centre over April 9-10, 2025. Offering something to look forward to this autumn, the Northern Ireland Plumbing & Heating Awards will be celebrated at Titanic Belfast on November 8. This year’s entrants have again raised the bar with their high- quality work. Also included in this edition are features on Boilers, Pipes, Valves & Fittings, Pumps & Circulators and Bathrooms, and profiles ranging from Plumbmaster’s new branch in West Belfast to milestone anniversary celebrations for NUGENT and Easa Group. We also look at the many varied career paths available in the trade from Heating Engineer Emily Davidson, who loves demonstrating that girls do know a thing or two about boilers, to Flogas Ireland Installer Development Manager Mike Murphy, who would swap accountancy for engineering if he could redo college. Enjoy! Alyson Magee
CONTENTS
ISSUE 122 NOV/DEC 2024
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News & Views: Announcing the shortlist for the Northern Ireland Plumbing & Heating Awards, set to be celebrated at a gala awards evening in Titanic Belfast on November 8. 22 In Focus: Plumbmaster has opened its 12th Northern Ireland branch in West Belfast, conveniently co-located with Key Hardware on Northumberland Street. 31 Products: In our feature on Boilers, Firebird Heating Solutions highlights biofuels including HVO as offering a sustainable home heating alternative to retrofitting. 58 In Focus: Easa Group celebrates 25 years of supplying accessible showering solutions combining functionality with style to the UK, Ireland and continental Europe. 75 Products: Wavin Ireland considers updates to the 1998 Drinking Water Directive and the implications for installers and specifiers in our feature on Pipes, Valves & Fittings. 98 Products: In Altecnic’s Hot Topics column, Chris Reilly explores how the installation of buffer tanks can be a game-changer for efficiency of heat pump installations.
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THE TEAM: Managing Director Karen McAvoy Editor Alyson Magee Publication Manager Jacqui Fairley Production Manager Julie Anne Guiney Digital Creative Manager Jo Hendron Digital Communications Natasha Nelson
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