The centres have been opened in partnership with Plumbco in Northampton, Aberdeen Training Centre in Aberdeen, LBS in Port Talbot, and Tucker French in Surrey.
Daikin is partnering with builders’ merchants, heating specialists and energy companies across the UK to create walk-in locations for homeowners to get to grips with the benefits of renewable heating solutions. Once they have identified the best solution for their home, they are partnered with a trusted local installer.
Local installers can use the centres to access free training and resources to help them diversify their activities into renewable heating solutions and ensure the long-term competitiveness of their businesses as fossil fuels are phased out.
Trusted installers will also benefit from lead generation and enquiries through the centres, sending homeowners their way for a quality experience throughout the installation process.
Each of the four new centres invited homeowners, installers, housing associations, government representatives, and local councilors to celebrate the openings and recognise the important role they can play in driving the adoption of renewable heating systems.
The growth of Daikin’s Sustainable Home Network follows growing demand for heat pumps, boosted by the recent increase of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants to £7,500, the Home Upgrade Grant, and the removal of VAT on heat pump installation.
Iain Bevan, Commercial Manager – Heating & Renewables at Daikin UK, commented: “Our new openings follow a busy year for launches across our network. We are proud to be partnering with Plumbco, LBS, Tucker French, and Aberdeen Training Centre, as, together, we tackle the green skills shortage and make a significant contribution towards our national net zero targets.
“The Sustainable Home Network allows specialist low carbon heating businesses to step up and help the nation achieve its net zero goals.
“Being able to discuss heat pump technology and their significant cost savings in person is vital, as is knowing that it will be installed by a highly trained professional – which is exactly what our Sustainable Home Network is all about.
“The recent boost in funding through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme means heat pumps are now more affordable than ever and have huge potential to reduce energy usage and bills in the home. Over its 15-year lifespan*, switching from a fossil fuel boiler to a Daikin Altherma low temperature wall mounted heat pump will save homeowners more than £3,000 when compared to a gas boiler, more than £6,000 compared with oil and more than £9,000 compared to LPG.
“With lifetime savings of between 24 and 37 tonnes of carbon*, switching from gas, oil or LPG to a heat pump can have a massive impact on a building’s carbon footprint and represents our best chance to make a significant contribution towards our national net-zero targets.”
The Mayor of Northampton, Cllr Stephen Hibbert, who officially opened the Plumbco centre in the town, said: “The opening of Plumbcos’ Sustainable Home Centre here in Northampton is a huge moment for our community, and a great opportunity for homeowners to begin exploring sustainable technology.
“It’s fantastic to see Plumbco making renewable heating technology so accessible to Northampton homeowners and the wider community, supporting the essential journey towards net zero.”
Installers who join Daikin’s Sustainable Home Network can benefit from free, hands-on training at training centres around the UK, to develop their heat pump installation and commissioning expertise.
Other benefits of joining the network include dedicated technical support, sales-ready leads, business support, and special offers.
For example, Daikin are offering £250 to MSC-certified installers each time they fit a Daikin air-source heat pump in England, Scotland or Wales.
The scheme is directly linked to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) and the Home Energy Scotland Scheme (HESS). In Scotland, the eligible products also include hybrid boilers.
Running alongside the Installer Incentive scheme, Daikin’s new installer offer provides free local heat pump training in a Daikin Sustainable Home Centre, and £100 off easy MCS accreditation, alongside end-user warranties for customers, so installers can concentrate on quality installs.
In addition to this, new installers will also benefit from 40% off the first heat pump unit purchased at a local centre and commissioning support for the first installations.
If you'd like to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the heating and plumbing industry, why not subscribe to our weekly newsletters? Just click the button below and you can ensure all the latest industry news and new product information lands in your inbox every week.
Subscribe to receive your free copy of HVP every month.
