A campaign to address a lack of certified heat pump installers in the UK has been launched with installers told there is a huge opportunity ahead.
Energy Efficiency at City Plumbing, a leading national heating and plumbing merchant, launched the campaign, supported by Energy Saving Trust and GTEC Training.
It aims to address a lack of installers qualified to install heat pumps, which are crucial to the country’s ambition to decarbonise home heating in the drive for Net Zero.
At last count there were 1,500 MCS certified heat pump installers in the country, compared to 135,000 trained gas engineers.
Hemal Morjaria, pictured right, managing director, Energy Efficiency at City Plumbing, speaking at the official launch of the company’s first Energy Efficiency Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire, said: “We are calling on installers to take this opportunity to upskill – and for the industry to make training as accessible as possible.
“The Heat Pump Association estimates we will need 30,000 certified installers to meet the government’s desire for 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. So, there is a lot of work to do to convince and inspire installers to take up training.
“This skills gap was identified way back in 2019 by the Committee for Climate Change, and it is one of the key reasons we’ve opened our Energy Efficiency Centre. The aim is to help customers gain access to training, improve their own businesses and to help the country towards Net Zero.”
Energy Efficiency at City Plumbing has partnered with GTEC Training to offer heat pumps training and is also opening its new Centre to the public.