New training academy opens to train UK’s heat pump installers

• EDF, CB Heating and Daikin have partnered to create a new training academy. 
• The facility in Clacton-on-Sea will train up to 4,000 heat pump installers a year. 
• Partners call for engineering, plumbing and electrical firms to upskill workforces in order to help the UK hit its target of 600,000 heat pumps by 2028. 

In a positive step forward to decarbonise homes in Britain, EDF, alongside CB Heating and Daikin, have launched a new Training Academy – the first open to all applicants – to drive the upskilling of heat pump installers. 

As part of securing the UK’s energy security and meeting its climate commitments, the UK government has citied heat pumps as a crucial component in its future heating strategy in a bid to reduce reliance on gas and lower rising energy prices for the longer term.  

It is critical that the UK finds sustainable alternatives to gas heating for buildings to tackle climate change. Global gas constraints have increased UK imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a higher environmental cost, with analysis showing that transportation of LNG causes up to ten times the carbon emissions¹.  

Heat pumps have an efficiency rating of over 300%² compared to traditional gas boilers, which have an efficiency of approximately 92%, losing at least 8% of the energy through the process of burning fossil fuels. Further, heat pumps also have a potential working life of up to 20 years, far longer than a traditional boiler, enabling households to cut their carbon emissions by more than 23 tonnes of CO2 over 10 years³. 

The Government has set a target of installing 600,000 heat pumps by 2028 and the newly launched Training Academy will play an important role in helping to meet that target. 

Currently, there are less than 4,000 qualified heat pump installers (according to the latest MCS estimates⁴) in the UK compared to more than 100,000 gas safe engineers. The new facility, which follows the investment and partnership agreement made between EDF and CB Heating in May, has the capacity to train up to 4,000 installers a year using Daikin equipment and products. 

Once trained, these engineers will continue to receive support from Daikin, EDF and CB Heating in safely and efficiently installing the technology nationwide. Their work will drive the UK further towards its goals of energy efficiency and security. 

EDF, CB Heating and Daikin are calling on plumbers, engineers, electricians and apprentices to enrol in the academy and become qualified heat pump installers. The training comprises a range of Daikin and BPEC accredited courses that are both practical and classroom-based, depending on the experience and existing qualifications of the trainee. 

Business and Energy Minister Lord Callanan said: “Heat pumps are highly efficient and reliable and are key to cutting carbon emissions using cheaper renewable energy produced here in the UK. By training thousands of highly skilled heat pump installers, the new Heat Pump Installer Network Training Academy will help drive us towards improving the energy performance of our buildings and deploying low-carbon heating across the country. Green energy is opening huge growth and job opportunities right on our doorsteps, and we’re ensuring the cost of installing a heat pump is being slashed with £5,000 grants through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and a zero rate of VAT, so it becomes an affordable option to more households than ever before.”   

 Philippe Commaret, Managing Director for Customers at EDF commented:  “For Britain to achieve net zero, decarbonising homes will be vital but in order to achieve this, we need to have the right skills in place across the length and breadth of the country and the Training Academy will help deliver this. We encourage all relevant professionals and businesses to access the training required to create the qualified installation workforce that will enable people across the UK to adopt heat pumps in the future.”  

Kieran Durham, Trainee (KJD Heating Services) said: “I'm excited to become fully qualified as a heat pump installer and it is great to see EDF, CB Heating and Daikin working together in this space to offer training. We're starting to see more customers express interest in renewable home technology and heat pumps, so having these skills will make me a great asset to my business.”

Clayton Browne, Managing Director at CB Heating, said: “To give any installer the opportunity to acquire the skills they need to confidently move away from dealing with fossil fuel systems is a very proud moment for us. We cannot achieve our national heat pump goals without upskilling existing installers and training new ones, so the provision of proper training facilities is essential. With EDF and Daikin UK, we have created an academy experience unlike anything else in the UK today.” 

Patrick Crombez, General Manager Heating and Renewables at Daikin said: “It’s more important than ever for homeowners to be able to easily access the expert advice and skills they need to make the switch to a lower carbon solution such as heat pumps. The Training Academy will enable this at a scale that’s never been available before. It will help create a new generation of installation experts for Daikin’s wide range of bestselling air-source heat pumps, including Monobloc, our newest system designed for smaller space.” 

For more information, please visit HPIN.co.uk. 

¹ Climate change: Hidden emissions in liquid gas imports threaten targets

² Air source heat pumps - the future of low carbon heating

³ Lower your home's carbon footprint with an air source heat pump

⁴ As at the end of March there were 1,269 MCS certified Heat Pump contractors (businesses). MCS uses an average figure of three installation teams per certified contractor, which would equate to around 3,807 individual installers.

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For more information contact:

media@edfenergy.com or edfenergy@goodrelations.co.uk

About EDF

EDF is helping Britain achieve Net Zero by leading the transition to a cleaner, low emission electric future and tackling climate change. We are Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity, meeting around one-fifth of the country’s demand and supplying millions of customers with electricity and gas.

With around 5 million accounts, EDF is one of the largest suppliers to British homes and businesses and a leading supplier of innovative energy solutions that are helping businesses become more energy independent. All of our home and small business customers get energy tariffs backed by zero carbon electricity as standard.

We generate low carbon electricity from eight nuclear power stations, more than thirty onshore wind farms and two offshore wind farms. Wind, nuclear and solar all produce electricity that is zero carbon at the point of generation and have similar emissions over the build, run and retire lifecycles.

EDF is leading the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C, and is leading the development of plans for a replica at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will provide low carbon electricity to meet 14% of UK demand and power around 12 million homes.

EDF is one of the UK’s largest investors in renewables, with 1GW of renewable generation in operation and over 4GW in construction, planning and development across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage. We are constructing our largest offshore wind farm in Britain – the 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe project in Scotland which will be ready in 2023.

Our energy services business, Imtech, is one of the largest technical service providers in the UK and Ireland.

EDF is part of EDF Group, the world’s biggest electricity generator. In the UK we employ around 13,000 people.

About CB Heating

CB Heat Pumps has a large Head Office building in Clacton-on-Sea and have over two decades of experience in installing heat pumps.

CB Heating have partnered with EDF to accelerate the roll out of air source heat pumps. Together they have established the Heat Pump Installer Network to provide administrative, financial and technical support to heat pump installers across the country.

They are now opening an installer training academy to equip the next generation of heating engineers with the skills and expertise needed to install these systems. The new academy in Clacton will be a big step towards developing the supply chains necessary to meet the Government’s Heat Pump ambitions.

About Daikin

Daikin UK is an eco-heating technology brand leading the industry in providing innovative indoor climate management solutions, such as heat pumps, to reduce environmental impact.   

 As part of the global Daikin Group and with over 90 years of experience, Daikin has built a worldwide reputation for quality and technology, developing heating solutions that create comfortable and sustainable interior environments for everyone.   

 In 2020, Daikin launched its Energy for Change campaign, which aims to educate consumers on the benefits of heat pumps and promote their installation – helping the UK move to a more sustainable future.     

 As part of its Energy for Change campaign, Daikin has created the Sustainable Home Network to provide top quality, free heat pump training to installers across the UK, helping them futureproof their businesses and support the UK’s transition towards green energy.   

 Additional information on Daikin’s pioneering technology can be found on its website, alongside details on why choosing a heat pump could help reduce UK homes’ carbon emissions: www.daikin.co.uk