Only 18% of engineers are currently installing heat pumps, and 44% do not know where to go to get trained, indicating a significant skills gap in the industry.
These are just a few of the results from a survey commissioned by Energy Efficiency at City Plumbing, where installers were asked about their current knowledge of renewable technologies in the heating market and whether they planned to become certified to install them.
The results show there is significant work to be done to provide installers with all the information they require about the topic, inspire them to seek training, and address their concerns.
The government has a target for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed per year by 2028 in a bid to achieve national net zero targets. But last year the figure was between 60,000 and 70,000 – and installers need more information on how to get involved.
Over a quarter (27%) of people said it’s easy to find a heat pump course where they live, but many more (44%) said they don’t know where to get trained. Just 18% of installers currently install heat pumps and only 6% are MCS certified.
When it comes to awareness of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, 32% said they didn’t know about it. Only 45% of installers say they are confident they know enough about heat pumps to explain their benefits to customers.
Adam Foy, MD of Energy Efficiency at City Plumbing, says: “This is a significant issue for everyone if we want to achieve net zero targets and it is one that we should be talking about urgently. As an industry we need to make training more accessible. We should be there for installers who are interested in upskilling and encouraging others that doing so will be good for their business.
“The underlying interest is there. Our survey also revealed that 49% of installers would consider becoming MCS certified if there was a course available locally. Moreover, when we asked installers if becoming certified would be good for their careers, 82% agreed.
“It’s not possible to achieve government targets without trained installers, so now is the time to act.”
Energy Efficiency at City Plumbing has started the ball rolling by launching its first Energy Efficiency Centre, in Farnborough, Hampshire, where installers can go for training. This follows the announcement of a new partnership with GTEC Training.
“We need installers to be ambassadors for renewable technologies, especially in the domestic market where many homeowners are yet to be convinced, so education and effective communication is vital,” adds Foy.
“Ultimately, Net Zero targets are going to be difficult to achieve without the right number of trained installers.”
Other survey findings:
• 53% of installers say customers are increasingly interested in finding out about heat pumps
• 76% agree customers are more interested than a year ago.
• 42% expect energy efficient heating will boom by 2025
Fieldwork: Conducted by Censuswide
Survey base: 350 installers
Survey period: December 2022-Januray 2023
