An industry commentator has lauded the renewable heat incentive (RHI), which could increase the need for workers who have completed plumbing courses.

Andrew Moore, founder of BritishEco, explained that the RHI is a scheme - similar to the feed-in tariffs for photovoltaic systems - that rewards people for signing up for the new equipment.

He is concerned that it may end up being scrapped as part of the government spending cuts, but if it goes ahead then it will surely require the services of professionals who have taken plumbing courses to put in and maintain the machinery.

"If people install these things they will get cash back on those, which we think will revolutionise the market," said Mr Moore.

In his opinion, it is vital that the state continues to invest in this area of technology.

These remarks were made in response to the launch of the Green Deal by the Department for Energy and Climate Change, which aims to make energy-efficiency affordable for everybody.

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