28 March 2025
Nearly 50 plumbers, gas engineers, and apprentices gathered at the Carnegie Conference Centre at Fife College’s Dunfermline campus on Tuesday [25 March] to learn about, and discuss, the future of heat engineering.
The event - organised by Fife Climate Hub in partnership with Fife College, plumbing trade body SNIPEF, The Verdancy Group and Perth-based firm IMS Heat Pumps - raised the opportunities and challenges of moving away from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of heating, such as heat pumps.
It came as a coalition of housing, environmental and fuel poverty bodies called for faster action from the Scottish Government on these issues.
Dunfermline heating engineer Pawel Jeka, 41, runs a small business fitting and servicing gas boilers. He came to the event to hear about what support was available to learn new skills.
Jeka said:
“We have had a few requests about heat pumps from customers. People ask do they work, are they efficient, how much do they cost to run. It’s hard to answer without the training we need.
“If the government wants us to fit heat pumps, we need some support. It’s not a secure landscape at the moment for us to take that leap. It’s not only about the money, it’s about the clear path.”
Ben Brown, 20, an apprentice gas engineer from Leven, said:
“People panic when new things get introduced. But I don’t think there’s any panic for the future, I think it’s looking bright.
“I think gas heating for homes will disappear gradually, and by the time I’m no longer here it’ll be a story of what we used to do.”
Fife Climate Hub Manager, Andrea Habeshaw, said:
“Heat pumps and renewable energy solutions are not just the future—they are the present. Every homeowner, renter, and organisation responsible for public and private buildings has a role to play in creating a more sustainable Fife.
“It was inspiring to see so many people engaging with this technology as part of their future careers, and we look forward to working with Fife College and other partners to continue driving this forward.”
Earlier this month, the government announced it would be delaying its Heat in Buildings Bill, a piece of legislation which aims to improve energy efficiency in Scottish homes and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Today Existing Homes Alliance, a coalition of organisations including Citizens Advice Scotland, Shelter and the Energy Saving Trust released an open letter to First Minister John Swinney stating the importance of having strong laws to help those working in the heating sector build certainty.
The open letter stated:
“Improving the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes and switching from fossil fuel heating is a fundamental part of tackling climate change and fuel poverty.
“Scotland’s businesses will be central to this, and to make it happen, we need certainty.”
Alan Ward, gas engineering lecturer at Fife College, said that Scotland had the technology but needed more commitment from government to keep up with changes in the sector.
Alan said:
“We could say upwards of 10 years before we do start to say goodbye to gas, but we need to get people thinking about the changes that are coming.
“The Scottish Government, as well as the UK Government, as well as the global UN policy has said we need to reach net zero, so if we don’t make those changes, we’re going to be left behind.
“We have the resources and the technology to make that change.”