Summit of industry heads calls for urgent intervention to improve uptake, suggesting training loans, credit guarantees and independent guidance
Heating manufacturers, merchants and trade groups are urging the Government to act now if it is to “restore momentum” to heat pump installation targets.
The warning comes ahead of the Autumn Statement and in anticipation of the government’s forthcoming Warm Homes Plan, which industry leaders fear will not go far enough to unlock mass-market adoption.
A summit of industry heads at InstallerSHOW 2025 resulted in a plan to accelerate mass-market adoption of the technology. Without it, the group said the target 600,000 annual heat pump installations by 2028 could be missed by a decade.
The group, which included the Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, Wolseley and Vaillant – proposed guaranteed credit for installers, training loans and an independent ‘Green Homes Hub’.
Mike Foster, chief executive of the EUA, said the industry was ready to move faster, but that policy frameworks weren’t keeping up.
“These are practical measures that could be deployed within months, helping homeowners, supporting small businesses and delivering real progress on decarbonisation,” he said.
Heat pump installations reached record figures last year, but less than 100,000 were purchased with the MCS recording just 60,000 certified installations..
A statement from the leaders said that, even with continued strong growth, annual deployment will not reach 600,000 until the mid-2030s, adding that the UK was “currently operating at around one-sixth of the required pace”.
The Climate Change Committee has said more than half of UK homes will need to switch from fossil fuel heating in the next 15 years – up from around 4% today – if net zero goals are to be met.
InstallerSHOW event director, David Ventris-Field, said “an open, solutions-driven conversation about what’s really holding the market back” was needed.
The leaders’ group suggested the creation of a ‘Green Installation Credit Guarantee’, delivered via the British Business Bank, that could help smaller installers fund projects.
Under the UK’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the Home Energy Scotland initiative, installers must deduct grants from upfront costs before being reimbursed later, resulting in cashflow problems for small and medium-sized firms.
To tackle the need for more trained heat installers, the group suggested a Heat Pump Skills Loan to allow heating engineers to retain now and repay once earnings rise.
With the Government having also targeted 1.6 million annual heat pump installations by 2035, the group said 10,000 new installers will be needed every year. The Heat Pump Association has said training rates are on track, reporting over 9,000 people completed courses last year.
Finally, the group advised the Government to launch an independent platform to guide customers, connect them with accredited installers and provide clear financial information.
Earlier this year, a report from the watchdog Consumer Scotland found that low awareness, poor regulation and rogue traders were holding back the country’s green heating transition.
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