Acquisition will see more installers trained on heat pumps

Energy giant EDF has acquired CB Heating, a major air source heat pump installer with its HQ in Clacton-on-Sea.

The deal follows a strategic partnership formed by the two organisations in 2022 that trained an extra 370 engineers to increase the workforce fivefold in its first year.

The latest announcement comes as the government has pledged to extend the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) and provide a 50% boost for the air source heat pump grant, rising from £5000 to £7500.

EDF says the acquisition will improve the end-to-end customer experience from selection to installation of heat pumps, reduce waiting times, and provide better value. The plan is to halve the current three to four-month customer journey time and train more heat pump installers.

Over the past year, EDF’s involvement with CB Heating has supported the development of the Heat Pump Installers Network (HPIN) Academy, which delivers free training to upskill engineers at every level in the UK.

Since August 2022, the partnership has generated a 414% surge in the number of heat pump installers being trained, rising from 90 to 463 installers. The HPIN Academy has the potential to train up to 4000 new heat pump installers every year.

Clayton Browne, MD at CB Heating, says: “Now CB Heating has the investment and resource to continue its journey to develop and grow our HPIN network, which is the largest network of qualified trained heat pump installers in the UK.

“We plan to train over 1000 heat pump installers in 2024, meaning a quarter of all estimated heat pump installers in the UK will be a HPIN member. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved so far and will continue to work with thousands of other local independent installers to help them move away from fossil fuels and switch to heat pumps. It’s a very exciting time for CB Heating as we take this next step in our 23-year history.”

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