Podcast explores installer heat pump experience

UK – Grant UK has released a new episode of its Net Zero Heating Show podcast examining how installing heat pumps in installers’ own homes could help build confidence in low-carbon heating technology.

The episode, Start with Grant – heat pumps in installers’ homes, focuses on Nesta’s Start at Home initiative and Grant UK’s Start with Grant scheme.

Hosted by Anna Wakefield, Head of Internal Sales and Marketing at Grant UK, the episode features Shaan Jindal, Sustainable Future Mission Manager at Nesta, alongside heating engineers Dave Phillips, Managing Director of Peterborough-based D Phillips Plumbing and Heating, and Robert Lake, Director of Gloucestershire-based RJL Plumbing & Heating.

The discussion looks at some of the barriers preventing heating engineers from moving into heat pump installation and considers how first-hand experience of living with the technology can help installers develop their skills and confidence.

Both Phillips and Lake have completed Grant UK’s Start with Grant scheme, which includes heat pump training and a fully funded Grant Aerona 290 air source heat pump system for installers to fit in their own homes.

During the podcast, they discuss their experiences of carrying out their first heat pump installations, the support provided through the scheme and how they plan to develop heat pump installation within their businesses.

Wakefield said the Start with Grant scheme, launched in summer 2025 in partnership with Nesta, had helped installers make the transition into heat pumps by giving them hands-on experience in a familiar environment.

Confidence

“Start with Grant provides eligible installers who are new to working with heat pumps the opportunity to get hands-on experience with this technology in their own homes,” she said.

Jindal said initiatives such as Start with Grant could help address the gap between completing heat pump training and undertaking installations for customers.

“Nesta’s Start at Home initiative brings together companies that help heating engineers build their skills and confidence with installing heat pumps by giving them a funded heat pump and the support to install it in their own home,” he said.

“This allows heating engineers to build their skills and confidence through hands-on experience in a lower-pressure environment, turning their training into experience.”

The latest episode of the Net Zero Heating Show is available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Buzzsprout and the Grant UK website.