Supply chain overhaul needed to hit heat pump target

The training of heat pump installers must be overhauled because the current route to entering the trade is “costly, bureaucratic and confusing”, Eon has warned.

Boris Johnson set a target to install 600,000 heat pumps per annum by 2028 in his 10-point plan for a green recovery, which marks a 20-fold increase on the current rate of installations at least.

In evidence submitted to the investigation by the Environment Audit Committee (EAC) into heat pumps, Eon warns that much of the content on installation courses is “outdated”.

It says: “Ensuring that we have the designers, builders and installers of heat pumps as we move towards net zero by 2050 is crucial; quite simply it will not get done if we do not invest and get this right. The current route to becoming a heat pump installer is too costly, bureaucratic and confusing, with outdated content still being taught.”

The supplier says the quality of apprenticeships should be improved by the creation of a national accreditation scheme and existing installers re-trained on heating system design.

The typical gas boiler is around 30kw in order to provide instant hot water but the average UK household’s gas usage is around 9-12kWh, meaning that heating systems are generally not optimally designed.

If a heat pump is to work as efficiently as possible, the home’s heating system must be correctly sized and designed otherwise the device will be less efficient and the household will pay more for their heating as a result, says the response.

Eon also backs the deployment of hybrid heat pumps to facilitate the transition to net-zero emissions.

It says the devices, which incorporate a gas boiler for especially cold days when heat pumps often struggle to provide sufficient space heating, could foster acceptance of the electrified devices.

People may be more willing to have hybrid heat pumps because they can be installed with minimal disruption since they do not require existing pipework and radiators to be ripped out and replaced.

The company says that following the Dutch government’s decision in 2018 to stop new build developments from connecting to the gas grid, 80 per cent of homes are expected to be electrically heated by 2021.

Eon’s call to revamp the training of heat pump installers is backed up by the EAC, which has urged energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng to work with the Department of Education to support a long-term strategy for education and training in green jobs.

In a letter, the committee’s chair Philip Dunne MP, writes there must a “concerted” attempt to recruit new heat pump installers by creating a “visible, long-term market” that makes it a “stable and desirable” profession.

The committee says the Green Homes Grant must be extended further to become a multi-year scheme that gives installers and consumers the confidence needed to invest in the initiative and help open up the heat pump market.

The committee estimates that there are roughly 2,000 individual installers in comparison to the 100,000 plus qualified gas safe engineers.

Dunne said: “We are in an exciting and innovative time with new technologies coming to market that can make our net-zero ambition a reality. But the scale of the challenge is huge and requires government to set clear direction to instil industry confidence.

“Heat pumps could be transformative in decarbonising heating in our homes, and with homes emitting 20 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gases, it is a problem we need to meet head-on. Only when the supply chain is equipped to deliver the roll-out of 600,000 heat pumps a year, and costs are brought down for consumers, will we see heat pumps being a staple for many UK homes.”