The survey findings show that more than 70% of installers want to install heat pumps but aren’t trained to do so and, even if they were, 95% don’t have the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation necessary to access the BUS grants (or the Smart Export Guarantee) on behalf of their customers.
However, when asked which renewable heating system they’d choose for their own home, from a choice of air source heat pump, ground source heat pump, electric boiler or hybrid, 74% said they’d rather fit a hybrid heating system.
Speaking about the research, Terri Hickman, Intergas marketing communications manager said: ‘There’s a lot of assumed knowledge about our industry and we wanted to ask installers directly how they felt about specific environmental issues, especially now as we’re all having to cope with increased economic pressures. The information we’ve gained will help inform our decisions going forward.’
Heat pump installers needed
One area the company will tackle immediately is communications, as 64% of installers feel ill-informed about the climate-driven changes affecting the HVAC industry which could explain the significant 44% of installers who believe that the climate crisis is not as serious as it’s made out to be.
With the government targeting 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028, a huge increase in the number of installers is needed which will only be achieved with a ramping up of training provision. For those installers looking to access the £5,000 air source heat-pump grant (£6,000 for ground source heat pump and £5,000 biomass boiler) on behalf of their customers, acquiring MCS accreditation now is essential.