SKILLSAFE EU is pleased to announce that the project has been featured in an article published by BUILD UP, the European Commission’s portal dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings.
The article, entitled “Safe heat pump deployment requires harmonised skills across Europe”, explores one of the key challenges facing the heating and cooling sector: ensuring that the workforce has the skills, competences and safety knowledge required to support the rapid deployment of heat pumps across Europe.
As the revised F-gas Regulation accelerates the transition towards refrigerants with lower global warming potential, natural refrigerants such as R-290 (propane) are becoming increasingly common in residential heat pump applications. While these solutions offer significant environmental benefits and strong technical performance, their deployment requires specific expertise and safety procedures throughout the equipment lifecycle, from installation and commissioning to servicing and end-of-life management.
The BUILD UP article features insights from Daikin Europe and EHPA, coordinator the first and partner the second, of SKILLSAFE EU, who highlights the need to treat skills as a central pillar of Europe’s energy transition.
The article presents the work carried out within SKILLSAFE EU to address these challenges through the development of:
- European safety guidelines for the handling of highly flammable refrigerants;
- harmonised training approaches across Member States;
- pilot training programmes validated in real-life conditions;
- recommendations to support certification and competence development across the sector.
A key message emerging from both the article and the project is that achieving Europe’s climate objectives will depend not only on technological innovation and supportive policies, but also on the availability of a skilled and safety-aware workforce capable of deploying these technologies effectively and safely.
Through its guidelines, training activities and collaboration with industry experts, SKILLSAFE EU aims to contribute to a safer, more resilient and future-ready European heat pump market.
You can read the full BUILD UP article here:
BUILD UP article: Safe heat pump deployment requires harmonised skills across Europe
Image credit: BUILD UP
