Analysis
Heat pumps are selling. Installers are not keeping up
Waiting lists for installation now stretch to six months in some regions. The shortage is not of machines but of people.
Energy correspondent
9 min read
A heat pump installation in a suburban home.
Heat pump sales rose by 40% this year. Installer numbers rose by 6%.
The result is a backlog that threatens to slow one of the most effective climate policies in Europe.
A skills gap
Installing a heat pump requires plumbing, electrical and refrigerant qualifications. Few training programmes cover all three.
“We have customers waiting until spring. Some will give up and buy a gas boiler,” an installer said.
Fixes under discussion
Governments are funding short retraining courses for gas engineers. Manufacturers are designing simpler systems that need fewer specialist steps.
Mara Ellison
Energy correspondent
Mara covers power grids, energy prices and the politics of the transition from Brussels.
