The Department for Energy & Net Zero has announced a new £14m programme to train installers across the country to deliver low carbon heating.
Over £9.7 million will go towards four projects based across the country, from Bristol to Cambridgeshire.
A new £5 million Heat Training Grant is designed to support 10,000 trainees over the next two years to become low carbon heating experts. Grants of up to £500 will go towards training, with the government saying that heating manufacturers may offer additional discounts to participating trainees.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Lord Callanan, said: “This funding will give the rollout of heat pumps a huge boost by making them cheaper and easier to install, and importantly helping more households move away from costly fossil fuels.
“But we need a skilled workforce to deliver this, so we’re training thousands of people to be experts at installing heat pumps and heat networks, driving the country’s push towards net zero.”
The government is already offering grants of up to £6,000 through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and a zero rate on VAT.
The Heat Training Grant will provide heating engineers with grants of up to £500 towards training. It believes the grant could cover most of the cost of a level 3 heat pump course.
Heating manufacturers may offer additional discounts and offers to participating trainees. These benefits could be worth up to a further £500 in product vouchers, additional training and other support, helping trainees put their new skills into practice.
Karen Boswell, Managing Director UK and Ireland at Baxi, said: “We welcome the government’s investment in developing the new skills needed to support the growth of low-carbon heating solutions in homes and buildings.
“We are fully committed to helping the industry transition to net zero, and we’re focused on helping individuals access opportunities to participate in the anticipated growth of air source heat pumps.”
Baxi has pledged to match the £500 Government grant with another £500 worth of Baxi Works loyalty points for installers who use the voucher to train and achieve Baxi’s BPEC accredited qualification. Upon completion of the course and registration of the installer’s first air source heat pump, points can be redeemed against a range of rewards including gadgets, vouchers, tools and workwear.
“This is a great scheme and we welcome the Government’s focus on skills, and its commitment to the installer community who are keen to participate in the transition to decarbonised heating in buildings,” said Jeff House, External Affairs & Policy Director at Baxi.
“The conversation on heat pumps has to move beyond purely product and must recognise the necessary industry change needed around specification, installation and maintenance – all of which will be addressed by the training programmes provided by us and others under the scheme. This is absolutely critical to gaining consumer confidence around new technology,” he added.
Carl Arntzen, CEO of Worcester Bosch said: “We are delighted to see the announcement by government of the funding for installers to become qualified to install heat pumps. There is great interest in future technologies and with this funding installers can gain the confidence and skills to offer heat pumps to their customers.”
Phil Hurley, Chair of the Heat Pump Association (HPA), said: “Installers are the most important ambassadors of heat pumps to the consumer, and the HPA warmly welcomes this scheme to support them build on their existing skill base to become the green heating installers of the future. This is exactly the sort of early-bird support we have called for.”
