It is estimated that there are only 3,000 qualified heat pump technicians, but at least 27,000 will be needed over the next six years, a report from Nesta warned.
Codrina Cretu, senior analyst of sustainable futures at Nesta, said: “A shortage of trained heat pump engineers could thwart the government’s net-zero target.”
“We will need thousands of additional heat pump engineers each year to make real progress in providing low-carbon alternatives to gas boilers and to meet the increasing demand for qualified installers, but this will not happen while there is a risk of technicians spending more on training than they will make of it.”
Their report found that wages for heat pump engineers were generally lower than for gas boiler installations, and training can cost thousands of pounds.
It warned that there was no clear route for someone new to the industry to take a heat pump engineer course.
Cretu said: “Governments in the UK should try to try money incentives to get more people and businesses to train heat pump engineers, as well as create direct routes to training through low-carbon heating apprenticeships and university courses.”
The UK needs to replace around 25 million oil and gas boilers with low-carbon heating systems over the next three decades to reach its net-zero target.
But eco-entrepreneur Dale Vince, 60, has called on the nation to keep their boilers and use grass-fed gas instead.
The founder of Ecotricity, which supports the Save Our Boilers campaign, said the cost of building gas plants is also much lower than installing heat pumps.
The Ecotricity founder, 60, said, “Heat pumps won’t work for nearly half of our homes, and where they can work (and families can afford the price tag), they bring a 50 percent higher utility bill.”
Dale Vince unveiled plans earlier this year for his energy company’s first “green gas” plant, which he hopes to be operational early next year.
The site, near Reading, will supply all of the gas needed for 4,000 local homes when fully operational.
The UK needs to replace around 25 million oil and gas boilers with low-carbon heating systems over the next three decades to reach its net-zero target.
But eco-entrepreneur Dale Vince, 60, has called on the nation to keep their boilers and use grass-fed gas instead.
The founder of Ecotricity, which supports the Save Our Boilers campaign, said the cost of building gas plants is also much lower than installing heat pumps.
The 60-year-old founder of Ecotricity said, “Heat pumps don’t work for nearly half of our homes, and where they can work (and families can afford the price tag), they bring a 50 percent higher energy bill.”
Dale Vince unveiled plans earlier this year for his energy company’s first “green gas” plant, which he hopes to be operational early next year.
The site, near Reading, will supply all of the gas needed for 4,000 local homes when fully operational.
An independent report from Imperial College London shows that there is enough grassland in Britain that is not involved in food production to supply every home with gas.
Dale said: “It also makes no sense to throw away millions of gas boilers and stoves and the national gas network. We just need to change the gas we put into the grid – from fossil gas to grass-fed gas.”
“We have the resources to make all the gas we need. It’s the easiest, cheapest and fastest way to decarbonize home heating.”