Fuel Oil News January 2018 | Page 19

Irish News

Convery ’ s customer of the month

This beautiful photograph of Downhill Beach won its photographer £ 100 worth of heating oil

It is customary for Northern Ireland fuel distributor Convery Oils to give out a calendar to its customers every year but the 2018 calendar was a little different .

“ For the 2018 calendar we decided to give our customers the chance to submit one of their own photographs , so we could select a special photograph taken by a customer to appear on one of the months of this year ’ s calendar ,” explained Eamon Convery .

“ The response was good with the standard of images being very impressive . We chose this great photo of Downhill Beach on the north coast as the winner , with photographer Naomi McCloskey winning £ 100 worth of heating oil .”

Fuel Oil News would be very pleased to hear about the experiences of other Irish fuel distributors who are engaging with customers through special competitions and promotions .

Ireland adopts OFTEC oil training

Helping to ensure there are sufficient qualified and experienced oil technicians across Ireland are Niall Elmes of SOLAS and OFTEC ’ s Norman Armstrong and Sean McBride

More oil training centres

In autumn 2017 , two new oil training centres offering OFTEC courses were opened .

In Northern Ireland , a centre , previously known as CITB ( Crumlin ), was taken over and refurbished by South Eastern Regional College ( SERC ). The new SERC Professional Skills Centre , which is now fitted with the latest appliances , is offering 101,105E and 600A courses . For more information contact ahigginson @ serc . ac . uk .

In the Republic of Ireland , a new City of Dublin Education and Training Board centre has opened in Ballyfermot with a range of courses on offer .

With responsibility for funding , planning and co-ordinating further education / training in Ireland , SOLAS is now using OFTEC oil assessments as part of the Phase 4 plumbing curriculum .

Candidates achieving the plumbing apprenticeship will have a nationally recognised standard in the installation / maintenance of oil-fired boilers , and use their National Craft Certificate to gain OFTEC registration in the Republic of Ireland . OFTEC registration will be available for up to five years , after which registrants can undergo reassessment at any OFTEC-approved assessment centre

“ With over 750,000 homes in Ireland using oil-fuelled heating , this will help to ensure there are sufficient qualified and experienced technicians to install and maintain appliances well into the future ,” said OFTEC Ireland manager , David Blevings .

“ We recognise the OFTEC standard and the credibility that goes with it ,” added Niall Elmes , development officer for SOLAS , pictured left with OFTEC ’ s Norman Armstrong amd Sean McBride .

New guidelines for rented houses

In recently published guidelines advising minimum standards , the use of OFTEC registered technicians to demonstrate compliance is now recommended for rented houses in the Republic of Ireland .

“ This is good news and is to be welcomed ,” said OFTEC Ireland manager , David Blevings .

“ A copy of the guidelines has been sent to every local council in the Republic of Ireland . In relation to oil , the guidelines state that a current periodic inspection report from a suitably competent person ( e . g . OFTEC registered technician ) that the oil installation in the house is safe and in proper working order may assist in assessing compliance .

OFTEC is engaging with local councils to draw attention to the new regulations and to promote the use of registered technicians for public sector works .

Fuel Oil News | January 2018 19