The role of manufacturers and OEM collaboration in heat pump adoption
UK – Lee Green, OEM National Sales Manager at Wilo UK and Ireland, highlights how manufacturers and OEMs can work collaboratively to support the roll-out of heat pump technologies.
With new government incentives and future regulations expected to drive demand for heat pumps in the coming years, delivering successful installations will require more than simply increasing production capacity. Manufacturers must ensure every component within a system works seamlessly together to provide long-term performance, efficiency and value for homeowners.
As a result, OEM suppliers are becoming involved in product development earlier than ever before, helping manufacturers create complete heating solutions rather than solely supplying individual components.
A changing market
The heat pump sector has undergone significant transformation in recent years. While the technology itself is well established, early adoption was often hindered by misconceptions about performance. In many cases, heat pumps were viewed as a direct replacement for traditional boilers, without sufficient consideration being given to insulation standards, heat distribution systems or wider energy requirements.
With the Warm Homes Plan driving heat pump uptake through grants and financial incentives, and the Future Homes Standard set to come into force in March 2027 making low-carbon heating the default choice, demand for heat pumps is expected to surge. As both homeowners and housebuilders move away from traditional gas boilers and towards more sustainable alternatives,, manufacturers are increasingly seeking specialist input from OEM partners to ensure a more holistic approach is taken.
Collaboration from the outset
Historically, relationships between manufacturers and OEM suppliers were often centred around product specification and procurement. Typically, manufacturers would identify the required flow rate, connection size and performance criteria before sourcing suitable components to meet those specifications.
Today, those conversations are becoming significantly broader. Heat pump manufacturers are increasingly engaging OEM partners during the design phase, seeking support in areas such as system architecture, control strategies and future product development.
Rather than just asking which component will fit within a particular unit, manufacturers are considering how every element of the system will perform together over the long term.
This collaborative approach allows OEM suppliers to gain a deeper understanding of manufacturers’ objectives, identify potential challenges and help develop solutions tailored to specific applications.
Part of a bigger system
One of the most significant changes within the sector is the way heat pumps are viewed.
For homeowners, a heat pump is no longer a standalone product installed outside a property. Instead, it forms part of a broader heating and energy management ecosystem that may include smart controls, hot water cylinders, underfloor heating and solar PV.
With this in mind, system compatibility is becoming increasingly important. Manufacturers must consider how different technologies interact and how individual components contribute to overall system performance.
The conversation has evolved from simply generating heat to managing energy more effectively throughout the home. This shift is creating greater demand for collaboration across the supply chain, ensuring every aspect of the system works together as intended.
Taking a tailored approach
As heat pump technology continues to evolve, manufacturers are increasingly moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to product development.
Instead of automatically selecting the largest or most powerful component available, manufacturers are carefully assessing which option is best suited to the specific application.
This requires a deeper level of engagement between OEM suppliers and manufacturers’ engineering teams. By working together from the outset, both parties can evaluate operating conditions, performance requirements and long-term product objectives before determining the most appropriate solution.
The result is a more refined product, engineered around the needs of the complete system rather than adapted from an off-the-shelf specification.
Lee Green, Wilo UK and Ireland
The importance of testing
As expectations around performance continue to rise, product testing is becoming an increasingly important part of the development process.
Noise levels, efficiency and operational performance all play a role in the overall success of a heat pump installation.
Facilities such as anechoic chambers allow manufacturers and OEM partners to measure acoustic performance under controlled conditions, helping to address one of the most common concerns among homeowners.
In addition to noise testing, performance validation enables products to be assessed under a range of operating scenarios, generating valuable data that can inform design decisions and support continuous improvement.
This evidence-based approach helps ensure products deliver the levels of performance expected by both installers and end users.
To find out more about Wilo’s bespoke OEM pump solutions, click here: https://wilo.com/gb/en/Building-Solutions/OEM/
