SMEs could be hardest hit by shortage of installers
Ambitious targets for half of the UK’s 28m housing stock to have heat pumps by 2040 will be difficult to realise without more qualified installers or government support for the easier to instal air-to-air pumps.
- 70,000 people are qualified to install air-to-air heat pumps
- Just 2,000 are qualified to install air-to-water systems
- Government boiler replacement grants should be extended to all types of heat pumps
Heat pumps for half of the UK’s homes unlikely unless the nation adopts air-to-air systems
Lack of installers means targets for half of all UK homes to have heat pumps by 2040, will be difficult to reach warns the construction industry.
The climate change committee’s seventh carbon budgetcallsfor installation rates to rise from 60,000 a year in 2023 to 1.5m annually by 2035 so that half of all UK homes will have heat pumps.
The House of Lords environmental audit committee described the new ambitious target as a huge opportunity.
Committee chair Toby Perkins MP said: “We have heard just this week about the thriving net-zero economy in the UK, and the expansion in green jobs associated with low carbon heating installations will contribute to this.”
However, the government’s £7,500 boiler replacement grants are for air-to-water heat pumps where there are just 2,000 qualified installers.
National Federation of Builders, NFB, policy and market insight head Rico Wojtulewicz said: “The government has not made any effort to make air-to-air systems available and instead has pushed air-to-water pumps.
“It’s a shame as air-to-air pumps are easier to install, and we have more qualified installers for this system than water-to-air pumps.”
There are an estimated 50,000 F-gas certificated installers who would qualify to install air-to-air heat pumps.
“By only pushing air-to-water systems we are limiting the number of people who can instal heat pumps,” said Mr Wojtulewicz.
SMEs could be hardest hit by shortage of installers
Smaller builders face the challenge of competing against larger competitors who will be able to pay more to snap up qualified installers.
“Lack of installers will impact smaller builders more than anyone else. They need to be supported so that they are not adversely affected,” said Mr Wojtulewicz.
Brokers Hank Zarihs Associates said development finance lenders were concerned that lack of installers could cause delays for SME developers’ completing a housing project.
Six out of ten households in Norway have heat pumps with air-to-air systems accounting for the lion’s share of sales.
Air-to-air heat pumps transfer heat into a home using a fan system and have the advantage of reversing this to cool a home.
Unlike air-to-water pumps, they cannot heat water for radiators, under-floor heating or taps. Hot water solutions such an immersion heater or thermal battery would be needed to accompany the installation of an air-to-air heat pump.
Air-to-air heat systems are cheaper and typically cost £1,600 to £3,000 compared to air-to-water where prices range from£5,000 to £9,000. They also cost less than £1,000 to install compared with £6,000 to £11,000 for an air-to-water pump system.
LinkedIn Question: What should the Government do to increase the number of qualified heat pump installers?
