Invisible heroes in energy transitions?

The invisibility of installers is caused by their small size, as about 80% of the installers belong to the small and medium-sized enterprise category, of which a large part are sole traders. Moreover, they are rarely found in one place as they move from door to door and from project to project, with their vans serving as their makeshift offices. Only recently have installers started to receive increased attention, ironically due to their scarcity. There is a glaring shortage of installers. European industry associations forecast the need for 500,000 heat pumps (1) and up to one million solar panel installers (2) by 2030 to meet the EU's greenhouse gas emission targets.

Installers can make safe and inclusive energy transitions happen 

Installers implement energy transitions by installing renewable energy artefacts, like solar panels, or increasing energy efficiency of heating systems. They are craftspeople with large experience based on years of on-the-job learning. As such, they make sure that the right devices and materials are used based on what is needed and that these are well connected to larger systems. For instance, it might be easy to install a heating boiler or heat pump, but integrating such a heating device into a floor heating system is much more complex. Accordingly, poorly designed and installed heating devices could lead to a reduced energy efficiency performance of heating devices (3).

It might also look easy to put a solar panel on the roof, but how many panels can your roof carry? How many panels can your fuse box handle? Which cables and inverters should you use? What are the safe routes for the cables? Imagine the damage caused by making mistakes when installing solar panels. If you are lucky, it will only require small repairs (e.g., replacement of an inverter); if you are less lucky, replacement of the whole electricity system is necessary, but in the worst case, your house may burn down, as already happened in some cases. So far, fortunately, these accidents in The Netherlands have not led to casualties. But that was also the case of accidents caused by wrongly connected gas boilers for a long time.

The role of installers goes beyond installing and repairing. They also advise people on which installations to buy and whether installations need to be repaired or replaced by new installations with a higher energy efficiency. As noted by an interviewee, installers are "the last tradespeople visiting customers at home. Others, like the milkman, disappeared or are digitalised". These visits give installers a high level of trust, and customers nearly always follow the advice of highly trusted experts with deep knowledge of complex heating and electric installations (4).

Installers can also make energy transitions more inclusive by providing tailor-made solutions for customers based on their available budget. For instance, large installers, such as Breman Installatiegroep or Energiewacht West in The Netherlands, work with social housing corporations. They jointly make long-term energy-retrofitting plans, encompassing decisions on when installations are to be replaced by more energy-efficient ones and when to implement energy-efficiency work linked to the 'building envelope' (i.e., the physical structure of buildings), like roof insulation. Both measures are needed to create zero-emission buildings, but doing both at the same time is often too expensive. Also, smaller local installers we interviewed indicated to support customers with a small budget, for instance, by sometimes providing a new installation against cost-price, not declaring (simple) maintenance services, or advising customers to postpone the purchase of an expensive device like a heat pump until the price drop in the future. The latter example illustrates how installers can also delay energy transitions.

Not superheroes

Despite their potentially crucial role, installers face several challenges that hinder their ability to act as key players in energy transitions. Firstly, they are undergoing a transition themselves, particularly Dutch heating installers who are grappling with the phase-out of natural gas-based heating infrastructure. This transition requires gas-based heating installers to acquire new skills and become electricians to install electric heat pumps. Moreover, energy efficiency can only be achieved when installers understand a single heating technology (e.g., a heat pump), its functioning in the heating system and its relation with the building envelope. This requires the transformation of installers from sellers of a technology providing heat and warm water towards holistic advisors on how to save energy.

Additionally, the entry of newcomers with limited skills into the market, attracted by a large demand and low entry barriers, such as a lack of certification and control, poses another challenge. This influx of inexperienced 'cowboys' threatens to undermine the reputation of experienced, certified installers and increases the risk of accidents due to substandard installations. Lastly, installers' product- and technology-focused approach restricts their ability to advise customers effectively and become more visible. Installers tend to be too modest about their contributions, viewing themselves merely as 'simple' tradespeople rather than as key persons who realise state-of-the-art zero-emission buildings.

Advocating for installers' recognition and support in energy transitions 

In conclusion, I advocate for greater recognition of installers' contributions. While they hold significant potential in energy transitions, they cannot navigate this transition alone. Policymakers should explore ways to support installers in driving energy transitions forward. This could involve linking subsidies for new installations and retrofitting work to installer certifications, as in other countries like France. Additionally, incentivising on-the-job training within public tenders for installation projects (e.g., retrofitting of public buildings) can improve quality and address labour shortages. And for myself and other citizens, my suggestion is to use certificated installers only. And be kind to installers. Offer them a coffee and a stroopwafel, because before you know it, they disappear again. They rush off to the next project. Or worse, the last of the tradespeople could be replaced by chatbots providing remote advice for self-installation and repair.

Acknowledgements

This blog is based on the study “The installer in the post-industrial city” that has been funded by the Erasmus University Rotterdam through the Erasmus Initiatives on ‘Vital Cities and Citizens’ (VCC) and ‘Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity’ (DoIP), the International Centre for Frugal Innovation (ICFI) and the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS).

 [1] https://www.ehpa.org/news-and-resources/news/wanted-half-a-million-heat-pump-installers/

[2] https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/solar-skills-shortage-threatens-eu-targets-2023-02-16/ 

[3] Gleeson, C.P. (2016) Residential heat pump installations: the role of vocational education and training. Building Research & Information, 44(4), 394-406.

[4] Zaunbrecher, B. S., Arning, K., Halbey, J., & Ziefle, M. (2021). Intermediaries as gatekeepers and their role in retrofit decisions of house owners. Energy Research & Social Science, 74, 101939.