Heat Geek has announced a £3.7m Seed funding round, bringing the total raised in 2023 to £4.2m to power its mission to decarbonise homes via heat pump technology on a national scale.
Nearly half the gas consumed in the UK each year goes on heating, a statement said. Electric heat pumps use electricity rather than burning gas or oil, and consume around a fifth of the energy of a gas boiler for the same heat output, it noted.
Just 25,000 heat pumps were fitted in private homes last year, but with a government ambition of 250,000 a year by 2025 the issue of insufficient qualified installers needs to be addressed, according to Heat Geek. Currently, there are 120,000 qualified gas engineers in the UK, it cited, yet only 3,000 qualified heat pump installers and experts calculate the country will need 27,000 by 2028 to hit current government targets.
Heat Geek’s new digital platform provides heating engineers with a “business-in-a-box”, the company said. It was founded by Adam Chapman, Heat Geek’s original founder and ‘Chief Geek’, Aadil Qureshi, ex Apple and IBM, and Matthew Gunn, ex JP Morgan.
Aadil said: “At the heart of our business is a shared obsession with empowering everyone in the UK to upgrade their home and save money every month. But one of the biggest issues facing mass uptake of heat pumps is a lack of skilled installers.
“Our solution is simple – train thousands of existing heating engineers and give them the skills, knowledge and tools to unlock the support for thousands of homeowners wanting to decarbonise their homes and save money on their energy bills.”
All Heat Geek certified installers will soon be given access to the digital platform, featuring tools such as a digital surveying and system design process, a training and community hub, MSC certification, plus an end-to-end digital journey for homeowner.
Adam explained: “Heat Geek is built to support engineers running their own businesses at the heart of communities across the country. Our focus is empowering local heating engineers that have been keeping homeowners warm for decades. These engineers are best placed to upskill and guide their customers on the journey to adopt Heat Pumps.”
Heat Geek has established a number of partnerships – one with OVO Energy was launched in September and Heat Geek has now also partnered with Resi, a renovation and extension service.
Other investors include angels Ed Broussard, Rob Harris, Jeff Twentyman, Akta Raja and Stewart Seigel plus 15 of the most experienced Heat Geeks from across the country.
Damon Blakemore, of Heat Geek, said: “I’ve been a heating engineer for 20 years, and part of the Heat Geek community since the beginning. In recent times, heat pumps are getting a lot of attention and investment, but there’s only one company working with the installers to upskill, train and give them tools to grow their own businesses. That’s why I invested and am proud to be a Heat Geek.”