The skills challenge
The Government is planning for a very rapid increase in the rate of air source heat pump installations, targeting annually hundreds of thousands of retrofit project completions on average over the next decade to displace existing fossil-fuelled systems. This is more than a ten-fold increase from the number installed in 2024. With projections of rapid market growth, it is likely that deep skill-sets will be stretched thin so, what skills should you look for in a potential heat pump installation partner?
The Government is working to remove barriers to installation – through planned reductions in the cost of electricity relative to fossil fuels (more policy details awaited), fiscal support to homeowners via the Boiler Upgrade Scheme £7500 grant, and other market incentives to support heat pump manufacturers with investment in manufacturing. However, a key limit to the success of these policies is the availability of skills and capacity among installers.
Finding potential ASHP installers
The website https://getaheatpump.org.uk/ was developed by Nesta[i] and The MCS Foundation[ii] to address the need for reliable and impartial information about heat pumps, and the “Install” webpage does provide some helpful information.
Firstly, it notes that your installer will need to be MCS accredited if you wish to obtain the £7500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant and points you to the MCS find an installer online tool. MCS accreditation covers all aspects of the installation process, from the information provided during the sales process, through a clear design standard, to the expected handover process and documentation to be provided to the home owner. It also requires installers to use standard payment stages to prevent home owners being ripped off by disreputable installers charging up-front for work they are not able or willing to delivery.
But, within a pool of available MCS accredited installers, there are those with more or less experience, and better or worse reputations. Moreover, some installers operate within an MCS “umbrella scheme” where the design is undertaken by one party and the installation by another – potentially leaving the homeowner struggling to determine accountability if their installation doesn’t deliver the comfort or efficiency expected with the designer blaming the installation and the installer blaming the design. Accordingly, it is worth considering what attributes your preferred installer should have in more detail.
Selecting the right installer
Getaheatpump.org.uk suggests four steps to help installer selection
- Search for a review
- Get three quotes
- Ensure the installer has undertaken an in-person assessment
- Get a clear written quote and contract document covering all aspects of the installation
These are all great suggestions, though using reviews can only provide so much information. For example, the reviews may relate to installations that are very different from your own property or needs and a successful delivery on a straightforward small project may not translate to excellent performance on a large property with high heat-losses, historic buildings, or where substantial future building alterations are anticipated.
What sort of installer skills should I be looking for?
- Excellent understanding of the type of building fabric and construction in your home.
- Ability to advise on fabric-first solutions to reduce heat loss through improvements in insulation and reductions in air leakage.
- In-house design capability – to accurately size the heat pump and emitters (e.g. radiators and underfloor heating) for both the current building and to consider any changes the customer is planning.
- Understanding of hydraulic design specific to heat pumps – to ensure pipework is correctly sized for efficient heat pump operation at lower flow temperatures. Too many installations focus only on radiators that need to be upgraded and assume that the existing pipework will work effectively with a heat pump.
- Installation experience and focus on quality.
- Insurance and accreditation – MCS accreditation, and manufacturer training specific to the products being installed. Installers that have had specific manufacturer training usually offer extended product warranties on the heat pump.
- Extensive service and maintenance capability using experienced employees.
- Ability to transparently calculate and show comparisons of system operating costs with alternatives (e.g. gas or oil boilers).
- Thorough understanding of controls and ability to explain alternative options, and where applicable integration with other systems.
Do they need to have these skills all in-house?
Not necessarily, but it helps ensure smooth project delivery and co-ordination. It is nice to have a one-stop shop, but some services will only be provided by very large installation companies, or may not be offered at all by installers. Examples include – associated domestic electrical works, construction of a suitable base for the heat pump, and minor domestic plumbing works. A good installer should be able to either arrange these services, or help you cost the works by introducing you to trusted tradespeople with whom they’ve worked on previous projects. The installer may offer to build these items into their contract, though it may be cheaper to buy directly from the relevant specialist.
Conclusion
Retrofitting a well-designed heat pump system is definitely more complex than a like-for-like boiler replacement so having an in-house team of skilled designers, and installation and service engineers, ensures your preferred installer will have the breadth and depth of knowledge required.
Selecting the right installer will ensure all your rooms are cosy year-round, and that the installation is completed professionally, tidily and that you have a detailed handover pack and training on how to operate your system efficiently. Pick the wrong one and you may miss out on extended manufacturer warranties, have higher than expected running costs, shorter than expected life of heat pump or components, acoustic issues, or the need to use supplementary heaters if radiators are inadequately sized.