The in-depth survey of 200 gas heating engineers and heat pump installers, conducted by Censuswide in March, found that the majority (70%) of respondents expect heat pumps will deliver between 10% and 50% of their revenue by the winter. Nesta is supporting this shift through its Start at Home initiative, designed to help installers build confidence with heat pump installations for customers.
UK heat pump sales reached another record high in 2025 and interest in low-carbon technology has increased as fears of an energy crisis grow, with reports that sales for heat pumps have gone up by 30% since the start of the conflict in Iran and the Middle East. Nesta’s survey suggests heating engineers who seek hands-on training are best placed to diversify and grow their businesses as the transition to low-carbon heating sources, such as heat pumps, gathers pace.
Six in 10 (60%) respondents say hands-on experience with new kit such as heat pumps – whether testing kit at a wholesaler(26%), seeing it in action in a customer’s home (20%) or trying it themselves (14%) – is the most effective way to learn before installation. A previous survey by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero revealed that only 27% of newly trained heat pump installers completed a heat pump installation within a year of training, due partly to a lack of confidence in the technology and the installation process.
Britain needs tens of thousands more trained engineers to hit 450,000 heat pump installations per year by 2030 – part of the national drive to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reach emission targets by 2050.
By building confidence and know-how during the spring and summer, when heating engineers typically have more availability to upskill, they can expand the services they offer and future-proof their businesses through access to reliable, well-paid work in the long term. Start at Home, which enables heating engineers to fit a government-funded heat pump in their homes, provides precisely this kind of training opportunity.
Madeleine Gabriel, Nesta’s director of sustainable future, said: “Low-carbon heating is becoming central to how heating engineers make a living, so we need to make it easier for them to get hands-on with the technology, build skills that pay and feel secure as demand grows. Our existing heating workforce will help to drive a low-carbon future in homes across the UK - but we have to ensure they are well equipped in order for this to happen.”
Matthew Kemp, installer at Leaping Hare Renewables in Norfolk, said: “Heat pumps are a great example of where hands-on learning makes the difference. Once you’ve installed it and seen how it runs day to day, you understand the design and commissioning details in a way a course can’t replicate. For experienced heating engineers like myself, as well as the next generation, including my daughter Hope, it offers a great opportunity to upskill and get ready for the growing demand for low-carbon heating.”
Nesta’s previous Start at Home pilot scheme saw all participants benefit from improved understanding of system design and installation through hands-on installation practice. Most described the gain as ‘substantial’ and over half reported a significant boost in confidence in heat pumps.
Those interested in a funded heat pump can find and register for a scheme that works for them at: startathome.org.uk. Nesta’s programme brings together companies across England, Scotland and Wales that help heating engineers fit a government-funded heat pump at home.
Through Start at Home, Nesta is providing up to £2 million in funding to companies that supply heat pumps for heating engineers to install in their own homes. Normally, installation companies are not reimbursed right away when they provide a heat pump through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales or the Home Energy Scotland Grant. Nesta’s funding will act as a repayable financial buffer, covering costs of up to £500,000 per company, until these companies receive their reimbursement. Since the initiative started in autumn 2025, over 1,000 heating engineers have expressed their interest.
Start at Home can help engineers to get on the path to MCS certification if they seek it. MCS is the UK’s quality mark for smaller-scale renewable energy systems including heat pumps and solar panels. MCS, which stands for Microgeneration Certification Scheme, sets the standards that consumers should expect from a certified installer and their products.