The training centre marks a milestone twelve months after opening, with more installers signing up for renewables courses than ever.
Wolseley Renewables Centre has trained its 500th installer, just over a year after opening in April 2025. Demand for its courses has grown steadily over the year, with more installers now signing up for renewables training.
Since opening, the Centre has expanded from heat pump training into a broader range of courses covering solar PV, EV charging and F-Gas, giving installers more ways to diversify and build a steadier, year-round income. Homeowner interest has been helped along by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which offers eligible households £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, rising to £9,000 from 21st July 2026 for eligible off-gas-grid homes replacing oil or LPG.
Andrew Busst, Training Service Manager at the Renewables Centre, said: "Reaching 500 trained installers in our first year is something we're really proud of. Every one of them is an engineer who can now walk into a home and fit a heat pump with confidence. What I love most is the mix in the room. You'll have someone with 25 years behind them in the industry, sat next to a plumber fitting their first heat pump, and they learn from each other. Dean is a great example of the experienced engineers choosing to add renewables to what they offer."
The milestone comes as the country works towards an ambitious goal for low-carbon heating. The Climate Change Committee says the UK needs to install around 1.5 million heat pumps a year by 2035, which will mean training many more heat pump engineers in the years ahead. Renewables Centre's first year is an encouraging step towards this target.
Busst added: "This is a really encouraging start. The country is going to need a lot more trained, confident installers to reach its heat pump targets, and reaching 500 in our first year shows the appetite is there. We can't wait to keep building on it."
