Wolseley research shows that more than half of installers don’t feel confident or sufficiently trained to carry out a heat pump installation.

A survey of 1,320 installers and 2,000 homeowners across the UK found 52% lacked confidence or felt insufficiently trained to carry out installations.

A third also pointed to a lack of practical learning in training as a major barrier, a concern backed by industry interviews and expert input.

The Wolseley group, sponsors of the 2026 National Heat Pump Week, is addressing the issue by investing in support that helps installers who finish the course to fit their first system.

Their investment comes after government research into Heat Training Grant recipients found only 27% had gone on to install a heat pump the following year.

Dan Marsden, Director of Renewables at Wolseley, said: "Installers and consumers are at the heart of the heat pump journey. We need a skilled installer base that are confident in delivering quality installations.

"Many skilled installers are out there; it's our job to support them throughout the transition to renewables. Doing nothing is not an option and Wolseley recognises its responsibility to lead."

Wolseley set up Renewables Centre, who partnered with NAPIT, in 2025, running five accredited courses across nine UK locations, with the aim of training 5,000 new installers by 2030.

It also delivers the Nesta-backed Start at Home scheme, powered by RES, a Wolseley business, which gives an installer free training, up to £9,000 in materials, property dependent, and free MCS umbrella scheme to fit a heat pump in their own home.

Nesta's pilot found confidence rose alongside technical knowledge, and that living with a system helped installers give customers more credible advice.

Kerri Perks, Director of Sales and Operations at Wolseley, said: "The course isn't the hard part, the first job is. You've got the heat loss calculations to do, the design, the certification and a customer stood in front of you asking things nobody's ever asked you before. Do that on your own and it's daunting. Do it with an expert alongside you and gain a huge amount of confidence for your next job."

Wolseley is also calling on the government for a long-term policy timeline within the Warm Homes Plan and wider training grant support across the UK.

Its research models a heat pump workforce needing to reach 154,000 by 2035 to meet the Climate Change Committee's recommendation of 1.5 million installations a year, against a projected shortfall of more than 44,000 installers. The steepest regional gaps are in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and London.

Perks said: "I've been working with installers on this for five years and the desire is definitely there. It's the step from passing the course to doing the job that people get stuck on, and that's the bit we should be fixing."

Perks will make the argument for driving UK adoption at the Big Debate panel at 15:00 on Thursday 15 October. The session is free to attend.