With the government’s Warm Homes Plan placing greater emphasis on clean energy and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, there’s a clear and positive shift towards electrification.

We’re seeing increasing numbers of air source heat pumps, electric boilers, and storage heaters being installed in homes across the UK. But as this transition gathers pace, we’re beginning to notice a growing challenge that needs more attention:

What happens after installation?

Over the past few months, we’ve supported a number of clients experiencing issues with installed electric heating systems. From faults with air source heat pumps to problems with electric boilers and storage heaters, the common theme has been the same: finding someone to service, repair, or support these systems has been incredibly difficult.

In one case, an 80-year-old resident had an air source heat pump (ASHP) installed through a government scheme in 2023. The installer’s warranty ended in May 2025, and just a few months later, a fault developed, leaving the resident with no heat. As the installer’s warranty had expired, the original installer was unwilling to provide further support. The resident had phoned a number of ASHP installers, none of whom would assist him. After considerable research, we were able to find and persuade a local heat pump installer to undertake a service and hopefully solve the issue.

In a similar case, a client with a relatively new electric boiler, broken and leaving the client and young child with no heat, had been unable to find an engineer to carry out repairs despite reaching out to the manufacturer and local installers. After researching and ringing around unsuccessfully ourselves, through our links, we were able to arrange for a local gas heating engineer with limited experience of electric boilers to “go the extra mile” and visit. After troubleshooting with an engineer elsewhere in the country, the fault was diagnosed and heating restored.

These are not isolated incidents.

While the move towards cleaner, electric heating is absolutely the right direction, it raises an important question:

Do we currently have the infrastructure, skills, and support systems in place to maintain what we’re installing?

Without the right aftercare: servicing, repairs, advice, and skilled engineers – there is a real risk that residents, particularly those who are older or vulnerable, could be left struggling with systems they don’t fully understand and can’t easily get fixed.

At Energy Projects Plus, we’re increasingly being asked for help in these situations  and we’re finding that solutions aren’t always easy to come by.
So we want to open up the conversation. 

• Are others seeing similar issues?
• Are there networks, providers, or solutions we’re not aware of?
• How do we ensure that alongside installation, there is a long-term plan for support and maintenance?

If you have insights, experience, or can help point us (and the residents we support) in the right direction, we’d really welcome the conversation. Please email info@epplus.org.

Let’s work together to ensure the electric dream doesn’t become a nightmare for the people it’s meant to help.