Installer spoke to Iasonas Kotsampasis – Pre-Sales & Helpdesk Manager – Residential Product Group at Mitsubishi Electric UK, about how installers can utilise heat pump manufacturers’ technical teams to guarantee quality installations.
The partnership between heating engineers and manufacturers is very important for both parties, and a good example of this is the technical support that manufacturers offer.
As the industry moves towards low-carbon and renewable technologies, installers will likely need to work more closely with technical teams to help deliver the right solution for their customers.
“As a manufacturer, everything that we do is to essentially ensure that the installed heating system is the best it can be,” Iasonas said. “A successful install with a happy installer and a happy customer, that’s the goal.
“The main difference between boilers and heat pumps is the pre-installation work and design phase which requires a good level of diligence. Experienced heating engineers can turn up to a property, know how many rooms and showers there are, and can easily know what size boiler that property needs. There’s a rule of thumb, a standard practice and these guys have been doing this for years.
“For heat pumps, it is newer technology and we need to build a new standard for this. When heating engineers are fitting heat pumps, they need to concentrate on that pre-installation design. As a manufacturer, we are proactive in having these conversations during the early stages of this process, our technical support isn’t just for situations when things wrong, we can support that design process as well.
“It’s a bit of an attitude change for installers to start being more proactive rather than reactive. I can say from experience, a lot of issues that our customers have when they’re installing heat pumps could have easily been resolved if they spoke to us before the installation. This is the service we’re offering. It means more time talking to the technical team, but it ensures the best outcome.”
Technical support
Heating engineers are used to working closely with manufacturers’ technical teams, often when there is an issue in the field. When there is a problem with a heating system, getting it back up and running as quickly as possible is the priority. With heat pumps, this technical support is essential for installers, pre, during and post installation.
“At Mitsubishi Electric UK, our technical team is split into three groups,” Iasonas explained. “One focuses on pre-sale and design support, and the second is the technical helpdesk which provides post-installation support. Both of these teams offer remote support, they are office-based and are on hand to answer questions, take urgent phone calls and work with installers. We have a third stream as well that we’re developing at the minute and that’s a team to ensure that the work we have done pre and post-installation is all joined up. We have a group of 15 engineers, all with an engineering background, with lots of experience and a diverse range of skills.
“On the pre-sale and design side, this service is accessible to everyone, including homeowners considering moving into the heat pump world. So, there’s an element of education for end users as well as installers who have been doing this for a couple of years.
“We wanted to build this offering for a wide range of stakeholders so we could have the right conversations at the right level at the right time for them. We have some customers who have been designing and installing heat pump systems for years and installers who are newer to renewables. That’s why we offer step-by-step support, including a design service which is accessible to developers and installers.
“On the after-sale side, this is more installer-focussed support. It’s more traditional, so people that are in front of one of our products and they’re trying to solve a problem or service and maintain it. This tends to be more step-by-step support, which is why people on our help desk have come from engineering backgrounds – they have been out on the tools and have experience on how to resolve any issues while promoting health and safety in their advice.”
4,000 inquiries a month
There are plenty of positive signs for the renewables sector. Data from MCS shows that 2024 was a record year for small-scale renewables. Heat pumps saw a significant and record-breaking rise with almost 60,000 certified installations – a 43% increase on 2023. This is providing lots of opportunities for installers, and partnering with a manufacturer is key.
“At Mitsubishi Electric we’re investing a lot to make heat pump adoption as easy as possible,” Iasonas said. “A big part of this is the training courses we offer, for which we have won multiple awards. We invest a lot of time, money and content to help installers with heat pump installation, servicing and content. This is available via our portal where there are step-by-step checklists, videos, and a very detailed bank of resources.
“This is what we’re doing as a technical department, to help our customers get the confidence to work on these systems. When they are well trained and supported by us from the pre-sale stage to the handover, we can guarantee that the job can achieve high quality and the desired efficiency standards.
“We’re confident in the growth of the heat pump market too. Just to give you an indication of the volumes that we’re talking about there, from a technical point of view on the pre-sales side, the team is supporting around 4,000 inquiries per month.
“Essentially what we’re trying to do is help installers build the momentum and become more independent. The more knowledge that we can pass onto them, the more trust they will have in our service, so they know exactly when and how they’re going to need it and use it.”
Find out more at: World-leading Supplier of Energy Efficient HVAC Equipment | Mitsubishi Electric
