Low carbon heating technician / Skills England

Key information

Reference: OCC1020
Date updated: 05/05/2026
Level: 3
Route: Construction and the built environment
Regulated occupation: No

Details of the occupational standard

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Occupation summary

This occupation is found in the Building Services Sector of the Construction Industry.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to plan, select and size, install, commission, service and maintain (including fault finding, diagnosis and repair) zero carbon central heating and hot water systems in buildings including dwellings and small commercial premises not in excess of 70Kw heating load. Zero carbon heat sources may include but are not limited to Ground and Air Source Heat Pumps and Solar Thermal Collectors. The occupation includes work on both new build and existing properties and typically involves the installation, service, fault finding and repair of zero carbon heating and hot water appliances, storage vessels, pipework, heat emitters and associated components and their mechanical and electrical control systems.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with customers and end users, and as such requires a high level of customer service. The role is physical in nature and involves the manual handling of heavy equipment, working at height and in confined spaces.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working both independently with a minimum of supervision and also as a member of a team involving close liaison and cooperation with site and line management, colleagues and other trades.

Occupation duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 1 Plan low carbon heating and hot water systems to meet customers’ needs and in accordance with manufacturers guidance, regulatory requirements and industry recognised standards and procedures.	K1 K2 K5 K6 K8 K9 K10 K12 K24 K25 S1 S2 S3 S4 S13 S14 S15 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 2 Select and size low carbon heating and hot water systems to meet customers’ needs and in accordance with manufacturers guidance, regulatory requirements and industry recognised standards and procedures.	K1 K2 K5 K6 K8 K9 K10 K21 K25 S1 S2 S13 S14 S15 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 3 Carry out preparatory work for the Installation of low carbon heating and hot water systems.	K1 K2 K3 K5 K6 K8 K9 K10 K12 K24 S1 S2 S3 S4 S14 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 4 Install low carbon heating and hot water systems in accordance with design criteria, manufacturers guidance, regulatory requirements and industry recognised standards and procedures.	K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K12 K25 S1 S2 S5 S7 S14 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 5 Test and commission low carbon heating and hot water system installations in accordance with manufacturers guidance, regulatory requirements and industry recognised standards and procedures.	K1 K2 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K13 S1 S2 S6 S8 S14 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 6 Carry out appropriate handover procedures for low carbon heating and hot water systems to customers and or end users including the provision of written information, diagrammatic information, verbal information and demonstration regarding the systems operation and use.	K1 K2 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K25 S1 S2 S6 S8 S14 S15 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 7 Carry out routine service and maintenance procedures on low carbon heating and hot water systems.	K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K25 K26 S1 S2 S9 S10 S14 S15 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 8 Perform fault finding, diagnosis and rectification procedures on low carbon heating and hot water systems.	K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K17 K19 K20 K26 S1 S2 S9 S10 S14 S15 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 9 Decommission heating and hot water systems.	K1 K2 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K14 K15 K17 S1 S2 S11 S12 S14 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Duty 10 Conform to all health, safety and welfare in the workplace requirements.	K1 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25 K26 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Health and safety legislation, approved codes of practice and guidance and safe working practices applicable to work in the building services and wider construction industry. Back to Duty

K2: Principles of sustainability, energy efficiency, reuse of materials and recycling. Principles of control and management of emissions and waste. Efficient use of resources and legislation. Back to Duty

K3: Common installation practices and techniques used in the installation and maintenance of low carbon heating and hot water systems (air source, water source and ground source heat pumps, solar thermal systems, unvented hot water systems, connections to cold water systems, lower temperature wet central heating). Back to Duty

K4: Scientific and mechanical principles applicable to how low carbon heating, cooling and hot water systems work, including coefficient of performance (COP) and seasonal performance factor (SPF). Back to Duty

K5: Roles and responsibilities of persons within the low carbon heating and hot water systems industry and related trades. Back to Duty

K6: Legislative requirements and sources of information applicable to low carbon heating and hot water system installation, service and repair. Back to Duty

K7: Communication techniques used with different audiences. Back to Duty

K8: Layout features, working principles and legislative requirements of cold water systems connected to low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

K9: Layout features and working principles of low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

K10: Sustainability: sources of renewable and non-renewable energy, current energy efficiency advice and guidance, UN Sustainability Development Goals, decarbonisation. Back to Duty

K11: Testing and commissioning practices and techniques applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

K12: Installation practices and techniques of electrical and electronic control systems applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

K13: Testing and commissioning practices and techniques of electrical and electronic control systems applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

K14: Decommissioning practices applicable to heating and hot water systems including limitations to operative competence with regard to other fuel systems supply, components and appliances. Back to Duty

K15: Decommissioning practices of electrical and electronic control systems applicable to heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

K16: Routine service and maintenance practices and techniques applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

K17: F-Gas regulations: purpose and application Back to Duty

K18: Routine service and maintenance practices and techniques of electrical and electronic control systems applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

K19: Fault finding, diagnosis and rectification practices and techniques applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

K20: Fault finding, diagnosis and rectification practices and techniques of electrical and electronic control systems applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems including safe isolation procedures. Back to Duty

K21: Planning, sizing and selecting practices for low carbon heating and hot water systems and components. Back to Duty

K22: Processes and procedures of electrical supply and control systems applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems and work including limits to operative competence. Back to Duty

K23: Well-being: mental and physical health considerations in self and others and how to access support. Impact of mental health on the construction industry. Back to Duty

K24: Risk assessments, method statements and work programmes: production methods and requirements. Back to Duty

K25: Collaborative and ethical working, relationship management with clients and stakeholders and mutual problem-solving techniques. Back to Duty

K26: Electrical safety: working with electricals in low carbon heating and hot water systems. Understanding limits of competence, what not to do, and when to engage a competent electrician, as well as other trades. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Operate in a safe working manner by complying with health and safety legislation, approved codes of practice and guidance and applying safe working practices. Back to Duty

S2: Apply environmental and sustainability principles. Back to Duty

S3: Produce work programmes for tasks within low carbon heating and hot water industry. Back to Duty

S4: Produce risk assessments and method statements for the low carbon heating and hot water systems work. Back to Duty

S5: Install, low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

S6: Test, commission and handover low carbon heating and hot water systems, including providing operational advice. Back to Duty

S7: Install electrical and electronic control systems applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

S8: Test and commission electrical and electronic control systems applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

S9: Service, maintain, diagnose faults and rectify low carbon heating and hot water systems, including safe isolation of supply. Back to Duty

S10: Perform routine service, maintenance, fault diagnosis and rectification procedures and techniques on electrical and electrical control systems applicable to low carbon heating and hot water systems including carrying out safe isolation procedures. Back to Duty

S11: Decommission heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

S12: Decommission electrical and electrical control systems applicable to heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

S13: Plan, size and select low carbon heating and hot water systems. Back to Duty

S14: Communicate with others verbally and in writing. Back to Duty

S15: Works collaboratively with clients or stakeholders to solve problems. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Takes personal responsibility for and promotes health and safety. Back to Duty

B2: Considers the environment and sustainability. Back to Duty

B3: Collaborates and promotes teamwork. Back to Duty

B4: Takes responsibility for completing work. Back to Duty

B5: Supports an inclusive culture. Back to Duty

B6: Committed to continued professional development (CPD). Back to Duty

B7: Act ethically. Back to Duty

T Level in low carbon heating engineering

Awarding organisation: WJEC

Qualification type: T Level Qualification level: 3 Qualification approved: 26/02/2026

End-point assessment (EPA plan)

Rigorous robust and independent assessment undertaken by an apprentice at the end of training to test that the apprentice can perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the occupational standard

End-point assessment organisation (EPAO)

An organisation approved to deliver end-point assessment for a particular apprenticeship standard. EPAOs must be on the register of end-point assessment organisations

Holistic or synoptic

Assessment of an apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in an integrated way i.e. assessing several KSBs at the same time

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB)

What is needed to competently undertake the duties required for an occupational standard

Valid

Referred to in relation to assessment methods; fit for purpose

Change request policy

Most changes to an apprenticeship are made as a result of a holistic review of it. We prioritise the need for such reviews based on a range of factors. These include:

the time since the apprenticeship was developed or last reviewed (taking account of its typical duration)
the existence of any known problems with it (e.g. lower than expected starts, low achievement rate, high withdrawal rate, any issues with the availability of training or end-point assessment provision)
whether the apprenticeship is currently subject to a dispensation
the relative significance of the apprenticeship based on how many users it has

The availability of an employer group to support a review and its potential impact on any related technical education product also inform the timing of a review.

Details of apprenticeships that are currently being revised or adjusted are available in our revisions and adjustments status report.

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Low carbon heating technician

Key information

Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

Occupation duties

KSBs

Knowledge

Skills

Behaviours

T Level in low carbon heating engineering

T Level in low carbon heating engineering

TQ occupational specialism

Aligned occupational standards

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