The huge shortfall of heat pump installers in the UK is being exacerbated by a split among engineers about whether they should invest in the required training, according to new research.
The government has set a goal to install 600,000 heat pumps every year in the UK by 2028, which is ten times the current market. However, the number of trained heat pump engineers ready to deliver on this target currently sits at just around 3,000.
According to non-profit Nesta, the number of trained installers needs to increase to at least 27,000 in just six years if this target is to be achieved, and then keep on rising to around 62,000 by 2035 to keep up with projected demand.
Installers split
However, new research from boiler manufacturer Baxi has found that only a third of the UK’s existing heat engineers are currently preparing to embrace heat pumps. A similar proportion believe they are “extremely unlikely” to adopt the technology in the near future.
When asked what would encourage them to make the jump, 39 per cent of the engineers surveyed said they would be more likely to install heat pumps if they received help with training costs. A similar proportion also said they were concerned about a lack of government support for the market, while 44 per cent wanted support to reduce the burden of paperwork in applying for government assistance schemes.
‘Installers play an important role’
Karen Boswell, managing director of Baxi UK & Ireland, said: “Installers will play an important role as we decarbonise the nation’s heating and it will be vital that the government and industry support them with the right information, incentives and training.
“They will need to be advocates for low carbon sources of heat and recommend to the nation’s homeowners that they should make the leap to a heat pump. To achieve this, we will need to address their concerns, support them with training, and explain more clearly the financial and non-financial benefits of these appliances.”
Nesta’s research comes to the same conclusion, adding that gas engineers need more information about options, retraining pathways and career prospects when it comes to heat pump technology.
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