When I started Air To Heat, heat pumps were still something of a curiosity. Homeowners were sceptical. Installers didn’t understand them and the government had barely begun to think seriously about decarbonising homes.
Today, the landscape is changing, but not fast enough, and not always in the right direction.
In this article, I want to share what I’ve learned from countless real-world installations in homes across London and the South East. What works. What doesn’t. And what the future looks like for heat pumps in Britain.
The First Hard Truth: Most Installations Are Still Wrong
Let’s begin with something nobody likes to say out loud.
Most heat pump installations in the UK are either underperforming, oversized, or simply unsuitable for the property.
The reasons are simple. Pressure to scale quickly. Installers unfamiliar with low-temperature systems. Misuse of software. A tendency to “fit and forget”. And, above all, a failure to listen to the property – to treat it as unique.
In traditional gas boiler replacements, there was a margin for error. Oversize the system? No problem – it’ll still kick out enough heat. With heat pumps, you don’t have that luxury. A poorly designed system punishes both the homeowner and the grid.
At Air To Heat, we specialised in complex jobs – the ones other companies walk away from. Why? Because solving difficult problems forces you to learn fast.
The Role of Experience in a Young Industry
Heat pumps are not new. But their adoption at scale in Britain is.
What this means is that experience is thin on the ground. You can pass your MCS assessment and be legally certified – but still miles away from being competent.
We’ve spent the last decade building what I call ‘accumulated confidence’ – the quiet knowledge that comes from thousands of hours in dusty lofts, under floorboards, and in technical discussion with our engineering team. It’s not flashy. But it’s what keeps systems running well 5, 10, 15 years down the line.
The key difference between a good installer and a trusted one is this: the good one can fit the system. The trusted one can predict its future.
The Future Is Not Just Technology. It’s Training.
We talk a lot in this country about new technologies. Inverter-driven compressors. Thermal batteries. Smarter controls. And rightly so. Innovation will play a role.
But unless we fix the skills shortage – at a deep, vocational level – we’re not going to hit our targets.
We need fewer salesmen and more craftsmen. Fewer headlines and more hands-on time in real houses with real customers. That means doubling down on apprenticeship routes, supporting small installers with training budgets, and incentivising firms who deliver long-term performance over quick installs.
No amount of tech will save us if it’s installed by people who don’t understand it.
Homeowners Deserve the Truth
One of the most common questions we hear is: “Will a heat pump work in my home?”
The honest answer is: it depends.
That’s not what people want to hear. But it’s what they need to hear. And part of our job – as installers, advisors, and leaders in this space – is to educate without patronising, and to be brutally honest when a property needs significant prep work.
The truth is, heat pumps can work brilliantly in old homes. But not if we rush. Not if we cut corners. And not if the priority is grant money rather than performance.
Education must sit at the heart of the UK’s decarbonisation strategy – not just for engineers, but for the public too.
What’s Next?
I believe the next five years will see a reckoning in our industry.
The companies that survive will be the ones who tell the truth, who train their people, and who treat each home as a technical challenge – not a sales opportunity.
We’ll see consolidation. A few national players will dominate. But there will always be space for regional experts – companies that build deep trust in their communities by getting it right, quietly, every time.
Government will play a part. But we can’t wait for them to fix it. The real transformation will come from those on the ground – the designers, engineers, and project leads who insist on getting things right.
