Baxi has published its 2024 Installer Skills Survey, revealing that attitudes of heating engineers towards low carbon heating are hard to shift, contributing to the slow growth in UK heat pump adoption.
Over 300 installers took part in the survey, conducted in August 2024 in partnership with green supply chain consultancy Gemserv. It reveals that just 9% of installers are fitting heat pumps. This is up from 3% in 2022 and 7% in 2023.
Sentiment towards heat pump installation in the future looks weak, with half of installers saying they are “somewhat” or “extremely unlikely” to start fitting heat pumps in the next three years. This compares to 46% in 2022 and even less confidence – 53% – in 2023. There is more enthusiasm for hybrid systems – where a heat pump is combined with a gas boiler – with 30% of installers showing interest.
Government schemes, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), are met with frustration in the survey, due to perceived complexity, excessive paperwork and lack of consumer awareness. Only 9% of installers rate government schemes as ‘’good’’ or ‘’excellent’’ and 42% say customers never mention the BUS.
A lack of confidence to promote and install low-carbon heating technologies has been a feature of the Installer Skills Survey since it began in 2022. This year, there is a slight improvement, with 11% of installers saying they are ‘extremely confident’ in discussing low-carbon technologies (up from 7% in 2023) and 35% ‘moderately confident’. This appears to indicate that while training opportunities and industry communication are having a positive effect, many installers still lack the expertise to fully promote and install low-carbon heating technologies.
Practical training is key to building confidence, with 34% of respondents indicating a preference for hands-on learning. The perceived high cost of training, along with the complexities of MCS accreditation, are an ongoing obstacle to learning.
A recurring theme in all three surveys has been a generational divide among installers, with those nearing retirement less inclined to invest in training.
Baxi shared the findings of the survey at an event held at the Baxi Solutions Academy in Warwick on 24th September.
Ian Trott, Baxi’s Head of UK Training said, “While the 2024 survey shows some positive developments, particularly regarding hybrid systems, many of the challenges highlighted by previous surveys, such as insufficient training, poor government support, low consumer demand, haven’t moved on. The transition to low-carbon heating will require more targeted interventions to support installers in overcoming these barriers.”
James Higgins, Partner, Low Carbon at Gemserv, said: “The 2024 installer survey shows incremental progress in attitudes towards low-carbon heating technologies among installers, but as the industry moves forward, increased financial support, streamlined training opportunities, and efforts to raise consumer awareness will be crucial to achieving heat decarbonisation.’’
