A new survey of heat pump installers has identified the main pain points surrounding the industry.
Conducted by Heatly, the survey revealed that 72% of respondents held the view that heat pumps only work in newbuilds.
When it comes to installation issues, the research found that over-sizing was the lead complaint, with over 50% of recipients reporting this as the biggest problem with heat pump specification.
A total of 65% of consumers said they feared heat pumps are too expensive to run, and 60% of respondents said their belief that heat pumps don’t work in cold weather was the greatest customer concern.
Heatly said that apart from oversizing, which can lead to inefficiencies and higher installation costs, 35% of installers in the survey felt that heat loss calculations sometimes failed to match real-world performance. Over 20% stated that this happened often.
The company added that issues with system design are being addressed by the latest digital tools, which standardise these processes and make them easier and more accurate for installers. Training and experience are also key to improved heat pump outcomes, it noted.
Respondents noted that while installers may have the right qualifications, practical skills and design expertise are often lacking.
Paul Spence, technical manager for Heatly, said: “The survey provides an interesting snapshot of installer’s views as we come to the end of what has been the most successful year for heat pumps to date. It’s great that the installation figures are on the up, but they still fall well short of where they need to be. Our findings show that consumer misconceptions still blight adoption, while highlighting areas where installers require further support, particularly at the design and specification stage.
“2025 looks to be the year where technology saves the day, and it is only a matter of time until the concerns highlighted in this survey become a thing of the past – digital tools are already becoming more commonplace to calculate accurate heat pump systems, future iterations of which could very well revolutionise the industry. Encouragingly, over 65% of recipients said they were overall confident in the accuracy of the software tools they use for design; a figure I expect to rise if we ask again in 12 months’ time.
“Consumer education and installer support are the key takeaways here, both crucial to the continued success of the heat pump roll out in the years ahead.”