Marcus Reardon, Owner and Director at Lake District Airsource, details his experience of installing a heat pump in his own home.
For years, fixing broken down boiler and struggling heat systems has been my bread and butter – fixing what’s broken and keeping homes warm. But things are changing. More and more people are asking about low-carbon heating, and I wanted to know what that really means in practice.
I’ve been in this trade a long time. I started out tinkering with motorbikes and cars as a teenager, then moved into plumbing after school. After the 2008 crash, I ended up working at a power station, learning the ins and outs of boilers and pipework. Eventually, I went self-employed, doing everything from bathrooms to heating systems.
Back then, I was sceptical of heat pumps. You hear all sorts of myths like they don’t work in old houses, they’re complicated, they cost a fortune to run. I believed some of that myself, but now I know they can and do work in older homes and they can be simple and cheaper to run.
What changed? Training. In England, courses are funded by the UK government and supported by Nesta’s Start at Home campaign, which provides training and a heat pump to install at home. I thought, why not? It was a three-day course which was straightforward if you already know your way around heating systems. It also covered all the basics such as how heat pumps work, system sizing, and what makes them different from boilers. I realised most of the principles are the same. That gave me the confidence to try one in my own house.
Installing my own heat pump
To maybe many people’s surprise, fitting a heat pump was easier than some combi boilers I’ve done, provided the existing system is decent. The big difference is flow temperature. Heat pumps run cooler, so you need to think about radiator size and pipework. About three-quarters of boiler conversions need bigger radiators. Mine didn’t have ideal sizing, but it still works well.
Living with it: the numbers don’t lie
People always ask me, “Does it actually work?”. My system runs at about 390% efficiency at 11°C outside. That means for every unit of electricity, I’m getting nearly four units of heat.
I’ve seen even better results in my customers’ homes with the heat pumps I have gone on to install after the scheme. One mixed-age property hit 510% efficiency. And that’s with less-than-perfect insulation, so yes, they work even in older houses, if you design the system properly.
Showing, not telling
One thing I’ve learned is seeing is believing. I’ve often invited customers to my home to show them the heat pump in action. They walk in expecting cold rooms and noisy kit. Instead, they see a warm house with small radiators and narrow pipes doing the job. That’s when the penny drops. It’s the best way to cut through the myths.
The challenges and the future
I work in the Lake District, where most homes are old and poorly insulated. That makes retrofitting harder, but not impossible. We’re seeing more projects to improve insulation, and more engineers getting on board. I’ve even rebranded my business to focus on heat pumps because the demand is there.
Other firms are joining in too, which is good, as it means we can meet the growing demand. It certainly isn’t a one-man market. If you’re thinking about heat pumps, don’t overcomplicate it. The basics are familiar. Why not take the training? It’ll give you that edge as demand grows.
For engineers, embracing this change means more than learning a new skill; it’s about leading the way towards a cleaner, smarter energy system. For households, it’s about confidence, knowing that the solutions work in real homes, and that an engineer can install it properly, even in challenging conditions.
My experience proves that learning these skills are not only possible but practical and rewarding, and I’d encourage anyone thinking of making the switch to consider the Nesta Start at Home Initiative.
