A Conwy businessman has been appointed as the new president for the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC). John Jones, who is lead engineer in Clwyd Heating Renewable Energy Services (CHRES), officially took on the role on June 13 at the Annual President’s Dinner, which took place at Crewe Hall Hotel, Crewe.
John has been in the plumbing and heating industry for 31 years, starting his apprenticeship aged 16 on the YTS scheme. After qualifying and spending five years with local companies, John went it alone and set-up his own plumbing and heating business and has gone on to develop his skills and focus from traditional plumbing to renewable heating solutions such as rainwater harvesting systems, heat pumps, solar and biomass boilers for commercial and domestic customers.
In his inaugural speech as president, John outlined what he saw as a range of key priorities to bring about better trading conditions for plumbing and heating contractors in the industry including: streamlining the qualification process to be far less onerous on small businesses; the standardisation of reporting defective work to protect consumers as well as eliminating bad workmanship and finally the need for a greater number of experienced field inspectors to improve policing of the industry.
John said: “During my time, I’ve seen many changes from increasing quantities of paperwork, competence schemes, green initiatives and basic changes in the technology and IT we employ in our everyday work. What is clear is that it’s never been more important to be a part of a trade association to keep abreast of these changes.”
John has been a member of APHC since 1994, becoming a board member in 2009. CHRES are also registered with Gas Safe, Microgeneration Certification Scheme and Renewable Energy Consumer Code.
John added: “I am passionate about the plumbing industry, especially concerning the smaller businesses, which I feel are put under too many onerous paper trails and directives from government and Europe. I’m looking forward to my year in office and to meeting the many industry leaders in construction with who I can debate solutions to achieving improved trading conditions for plumbing and heating businesses.”