AIR CONDITIONING
Strengthening heat pump delivery
Hemal Morjaria, Managing Director, Heating and Renewables at City Plumbing, examines the merchant’s research into the practicalities of heat pump delivery for UK installers and how these fi ndings can inform future growth in 2026 and beyond.
H Hemal Morjaria
eat pumps are no longer a specialist technology on the fringes of the heating sector, but are fast becoming a central part of building services work across the UK. Demand is rising, building owners are asking more questions about low-carbon performance, and heating engineering fi rms are being called on to deliver systems that require careful design and consistent technical standards. As momentum continues to build, the businesses that succeed in 2026 will be those that invest in capability, plan for workforce change and adopt tools that support accurate delivery at scale. In our recent Taking the Temperature research, we explored
what growth means in practice. The survey, based on the views of 500 plumbing and heating professionals from businesses ranging from sole traders to more than 500 employees, provides a detailed view of how the industry is adapting to the rise in heat pump work.
Current state of play One of the most striking fi ndings of our research is that heat pump activity is already well established across fi rms of all sizes. Just over half (51%) of all respondents say they install
heat pumps, and more than 46% say they maintain or service them.
Smaller fi rms with between one and nine employees
show some of the strongest involvement, with more than 61% installing heat pumps. Sole traders also account for a signifi cant share of installation and servicing activity, suggesting that low-carbon systems are now routine even for the smallest businesses. Larger companies, particularly those with 100-249
employees, show the highest levels of heat pump activity overall. Almost 77% of respondents in this group install heat pumps and more than half (53%) maintain them.
Skilling up
As we look ahead to 2026, increasing this capacity and capability will remain critical to future heat pump adoption. In fact, over 70% of respondents agree that the skills gap in renewables is a major challenge for the sector, with almost one- third strongly agreeing. This level of consensus also refl ects a shared understanding - and a view that we hold in our business - that heat pumps are not simply a like-for-like replacement for gas boilers. They demand a diff erent approach to design, system integration and commissioning. Additionally, installers recognise that early customer experience will shape long-term confi dence in the technology. When a system performs well from day one, customers trust the process. When it does not, confi dence falls, and word of mouth slows progress. That is why investment in skills has become a priority across fi rms of every size. Around 58% of respondents say they have already trained in heat pumps, and a further 34% plan to train within the next 12 months. Only around 8% say they have no plans to upskill. The picture is also shaped by age. Engineers aged 35 to 44 have the highest proportion of completed training at almost 69%, while younger engineers aged 18 to 24 show encouraging early engagement at 60%. By contrast, around one-third of engineers aged 55 and over do not plan to train, which reinforces the need for new entrants and structured workforce development.
Business size further infl uences training patterns. Smaller 16 February 2026 •
www.acr-news.com Download the ACR News app today
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
