Marc Brown, business leader – homes, at Energy Systems Catapult, has responded to the Heat Training Grant by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
Marc said: “The UK’s ambitious target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028 was only ever going to be achieved with targeted investment from industry and government. The launch of DESNZ’s £5m training fund for installers in England is a positive step forward on the path to Net Zero.
“The fund will open new doors for installers looking to retrain in low carbon heating solutions. £500 will cover most of a Level 3 heat pump course, taking the sting out of training, and helping to encourage more installers to consider heat pump installations for their businesses. Further support can be provided by ensuring training is accessible and flexible, helping to meet the needs of would-be heat pump installers, by minimising the time required for them to be ‘off the tools’. This is particularly important given that most heating engineers are SMEs or sole traders.
“We cannot just focus our attention on installers. We require hundreds of retrofit advisors and low carbon heating designers to ensure that a whole-house approach is taken. This training fund is moving us in the right direction, but we need to ensure we’re considering all aspects of installation and retrofit.
“Our work on the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project has shown that heat pumps are suitable for all housing archetypes in the UK. This funding will help translate these findings into tangible action. We’ve shown what is possible, now it is up to installers to deliver our Net Zero future.”