Apply for the Heat Training Grant: discounted heat pump training

Details

What you can get

Training providers participating in this scheme will offer grants of up to £500 on eligible courses.

In most cases you will receive the grant as a discount on the cost of the training.

The training you receive will usually take at least 3 days, although it may be longer depending on your previous skills and experience.

All the courses should cover all the skills needed for your business to install heat pumps as part of a competent person scheme. You will receive more information on how to join one of these schemes once you have completed the training.

Several heating manufacturers are offering additional discounts and offers to participating trainees, which could be worth up to a further £500 in product vouchers and further training.

Check if you’re eligible

You’re eligible for the grant if all of the following are true:

• you work for a business with 250 employees or fewer, you are a sole trader, or you are unemployed
• you, or the business you work for, are certified by a competent person scheme for heating and hot water installations. Examples include: APHC, BESCA, Blue Flame Certification, Gas Safe Register, Certsure/NIC EIC, HETAS, NAPIT, OFTEC or Stroma
• you, or the business you work for, haven’t already received more than £315,000 in government subsidies over the last 3 years

If you’re not sure you meet the criteria, you can ask one of the training providers offering the grant.

If you’re eligible, you can claim the grant when you sign up with a participating training provider - see the list of training providers.

The grant is only available for training which takes place in England.

How to sign up for training and receive the grant

1. Check that you’re eligible.

2. Visit websites of training providers to get an idea of prices, location, and availability.

3. Confirm with the training provider that you’re eligible, and whether you need to complete any required training for your preferred course.

4. Confirm with the training provider whether you will receive the grant as a discount from the initial cost of the course, or as a rebate once the training is complete.

5. Book your preferred course directly with the training provider.

See the list of training providers offering the grant.

Additional opportunities after you’ve completed your training

Once you’ve completed your training, you may be able to access several additional opportunities.

Competence scheme membership

Once you’ve completed your training, you should have all the skills you need to join a competent person scheme for heat pump installations. Joining one of these schemes will allow you to self-certify that heat pump installations in England comply with building regulations, avoiding the need for inspection by a building control body.

You can find out more about how to join these schemes via their websites:

• APHC (Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors)
• Certsure (trading as NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting))
• NAPIT (National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers)
• OFTEC (Oil Firing Technical Association)

Even if you are already a member of one of these schemes for another heating technology, you may need to update your membership to self-certify heat pumps.

Additional discounts and offers

In addition, several heating manufacturers are offering additional discounts and offers to participating trainees. These benefits could be worth up to a further £500 in product vouchers and additional training. They may also be able to provide you with support and advice towards installing your first heat pump.

The following offers are only available at specific centres.

Baxi

Baxi are offering 15,000 Baxi Works loyalty points for installers receiving the Heat Training Grant. To be eligible installers need to:

• complete an accredited Heat pump training course with Baxi, available at their Warwick, Dartford and Warrington training centres
• register a Baxi ASHP via Baxi Works

You will then be able to spend the points on a range of items from the Baxi Works Reward Catalogue.

Baxi will also support trainees with free continual professional development and free supervised commissioning of their first heat pump installation (terms and conditions apply).

Daikin

Daikin is encouraging heating engineers, currently installing boilers, to install heat pumps. The government has in place an offer for the LCL Level 3 Award in Installation and Maintenance of Heat Pump Systems and WRAS Water Regulations/Byelaws (available at Daikin’s Woking and Birmingham centres).

Daikin are also offering:

• £250 cash back for successful trainees upon course completion
• commissioning support for the first 3 Heat Pump installs
• £100 off Easy MCS accreditation
• 40% off the first heat pump unit purchased at your local centre
• end-user warranties

NIBE

NIBE are offering a discounted price of £1,300 to installers who are eligible for the Heat Training Grant who go on to become NIBE Pro members. This price is valid on the full NIBE Pro package which includes the RQF Level 3 Award in Heat Pump Technology, CIPHE Low Temperature Heating and Hot Water in Dwellings Course and full technical support towards becoming an MCS certified heat pump installer. This offer is available at Chesterfield, with other centres around the country coming soon.

Trainees who join NIBE Pro will be able to redeem the full cost of the training against their first NIBE product purchases.  Find out more and apply at www.nibe.co.uk/installer.

Worcester Bosch

Worcester Bosch are offering a number of additional training courses free of charge to trainees receiving the heat training grant at their Worcester, Wakefield or West Thurrock centres. The courses available include:

• Low Temperature Heating Design
• Water Regulations
• Hot Water Systems and Safety
• Basic Electrics for Heating Engineers
• Wiring Of Central Heating Systems
• Introduction To Renewable Heating
• Compress 7000i Air to Water & Hybrid Heat Pumps

All courses can be booked via training@uk.bosch.com or 03301230166.

Complete your first installation

Once you’ve completed your training, you will be ready to complete your first heat pump installation. One opportunity to do so is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, a government grant scheme which provides eligible homeowners with:

• £7,500 towards an Air Source Heat Pump
• £7,500 towards a Ground Source Heat Pump

Visit Ofgem’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme for more information.

To offer this grant to customers, you will need to be Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified to install heat pumps. You can find out more about becoming MCS Certified by talking to one of the competence schemes listed above, or you can contact MCS directly.

More information

Why you should join a competent person scheme after completing the training

Joining a scheme means you will be able to self-certify your heat pump installations complying with building regulations (in England and Wales). This avoids the need for the heat pump to be inspected by building control. If you are already a member of one of these schemes for another technology (for example for oil or solid fuels), you should check with them if you need to update your membership to include heat pumps.

The cost of the course including the grant

The cost of courses will vary according to the training centre and course selected.

The grant could cover most of the cost of a level 3 heat pump course, which takes one week or less for an experienced gas or oil heating installer to complete. Additional discounts and offers from manufacturers should mean that the course cost is entirely compensated for as well as partially compensating for the time taken to complete the course.

January 2025: Mid-scheme review published

We have published a mid-scheme review of the Heat Training Grant for heat pump training.