Episode 17: Start with Grant – heat pumps in installers’ homes

How can we encourage more heat pump installers? What are the barriers preventing installers from making the move to working with low-carbon heat pumps? Can living with a heat pump build installers’ confidence in the technology? In this episode of the Net Zero Heating Show, listen to some of the answers to these questions and learn more about Nesta and Grant UK’s initiatives which are helping installers upskill with heat pumps. 

Anna Wakefield (Head of Internal Sales and Marketing at Grant UK) is joined by Shaan Jindal, Mission Manager at Nesta, Dave Phillips, Managing Director of D Phillips Plumbing and Heating Ltd, and Robert Lake, Director of RJL Plumbing & Heating, to discuss how schemes, such as Start with Grant, are equipping installers with knowledge and experience by living with a heat pump in their own homes. 

What’s discussed: 

• An introduction to Nesta, what they do and their Start at Home pilot
• What is included in the Start with Grant Scheme and how installers can get a fully funded Aerona 290 heat pump for their home
• The experience of two installers who have been through Start with Grant and are now living with a Grant R290 heat pump in their homes

Useful resources:

Start with Grant is a scheme run by Grant UK in partnership with Nesta. Through Start with Grant, eligible heating engineers and installers who have not previously worked with heat pumps can access training, system design and technical support to install a fully funded Aerona 290 heat pump system in their home. Terms and Conditions apply. To read more about the eligibility criteria and how to apply, please visit - https://www.grantuk.com/professional/support/start-with-grant/. 

For further information about the Aerona 290 air-to-water heat pump range, please head to https://www.grantuk.com/professional/products/air-source-heat-pumps/r290/. 

Shaan Jindal is a Mission Manager in Nesta’s Sustainable Future mission, which focuses on accelerating the decarbonisation of home heating in the UK. Shaan leads research and innovation projects that aim to make it easier for gas and oil heating engineers to start installing heat pumps, such as Start at Home. He also leads the team’s work on the role of air-to-air heat pumps as a solution for decarbonising home heating.

Dave Phillips is the Managing Director of D Phillips Plumbing and Heating Ltd based in Peterborough. Dave has been working in the plumbing and heating sector for 24 years, installing, servicing and maintaining gas and oil boiler central heating systems throughout his career. 

Robert Lake is a heating engineer who worked for a local installation business before starting his own company in 2007, RJL Plumbing and Heating based in Gloucestershire. As a sole trader, Robert has worked with new installations and maintenance for domestic gas and oil-fired heating systems, commercial gas and more recently, he has started sub-contracted work for local builders.

This episode was recorded on 21st July 2026.