Q Describe the background of the company
I started Greenhome Heating in 2016 on my own. After working with a heating company on the EAGA and ECO schemes, I wanted to break into the boiler installation market and eventually get qualified to install boilers under these schemes myself. But things didn’t go as planned. Without enough savings, I had to spend most of my time finding ways to make money instead of focusing on growing the business the way I wanted to.
Q How has the business changed/evolved since then?
From 2016 to 2020, we stayed busy and gradually expanded by offering a mix of services. By then, we had five employees and often took on bathroom installations because they helped fill the schedule and provided job security. The downside was that none of our employees enjoyed doing bathrooms, leading to lots of headaches and unhappy staff.
This frustration led me to a breaking point where I decided to stop bathroom work altogether and focus solely on building a heating company. This was a rash decision since bathroom jobs made up about 60% of our workload. The following year was incredibly tough as we tried everything to grow the heating side of the business without letting any employees go. We spent a lot on marketing and chased heating contracts but had no luck. By January 2022, we were on the verge of closing down.
Fortunately, that’s when I joined two fantastic courses. The first was the Heat Geek course, which completely changed my view on heat pumps. The second was a business development course (Inner Circle with Craig Wilkinson), which taught me how to market effectively to my target audience. This course was crucial in teaching me how to run a real business and gave me the right mindset to handle future challenges.
Q What are your main service offers/areas of business?
Our main services are now heat pump and solar panel installations. We still do boiler installations, but we’re usually booked up well in advance, and most people are pretty desperate when they need a new boiler.
Q Key facts and figures
From 2022 to 2023, our turnover grew from £456,000 to £639,000, and we’re on track to hit £1,000,000 this year. We achieved this by focusing on our most profitable products and services without hiring any extra employees (we still have 6). We’ve made all our processes as efficient as possible and streamlined the installation process to save time and ensure quality.
Q What are your goals for the business for the next few years?
Over the next year, I plan to dive deep and systemise as much of the installation process as possible. This way, we can guarantee the same quality of installation and customer experience every time as we expand the business. My goal is to double the number of installations we’re currently doing by leveraging strategic partnerships and growing our client base.
Q What’s your view of the renewable energy landscape as it stands?
I think there’s a huge opportunity for growth in the renewable market for companies that want to dive deep, expand their knowledge, and do a top-notch job for their customers. Unfortunately, some businesses see this market as an easy way to make money without learning how to design systems correctly. These are the ones that will give heat pumps a bad reputation.
Q What do you think are the main challenges for your business/the renewable industry at the moment?
Training installers has been a real challenge. Many of the heat pump courses I’ve attended have been terrible and aren’t setting installers up for success in our industry. They often skip over crucial elements, especially the low-temperature design aspect, which is essential for proper installation and system efficiency. This lack of comprehensive training means that installers are not fully prepared, leading to poor system performance and dissatisfied customers.
Without a solid understanding of these core concepts, installers are likely to make mistakes that can damage the reputation of heat pumps and renewable energy solutions. Proper training should cover every aspect of the installation process, from design to implementation, to ensure that installers can deliver high-quality, efficient systems. It’s frustrating to see courses that don’t provide this, as it undermines the potential of the renewable energy market and the trust customers place in these technologies.
Q What are the main opportunities for your business/the renewable industry at the moment?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme voucher is a huge opportunity right now because it makes getting a heat pump installed a much more appealing option for customers. We’ve noticed that once a customer starts with one green technology, they often start thinking about other ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
For example, someone who buys an electric car might soon be looking into getting solar panels and a heat pump within a year or two. This trend shows how one green choice can lead to a series of environmentally friendly decisions, which is great for the industry and the planet.
Q Do you agree with the government’s net zero strategy?
I think the targets are ambitious, and my main concern is the number of qualified people we have to actually do the work. It’s previously been about pushing as many people as possible through training programs that are outdated and not good enough to teach engineers how to design and install quality systems. New build housing is actually producing some of the worst installs, so over the next few years, there’s going to be a lot of unhappy people.
Q Do you have any particular ideas/solutions for advancing the net zero agenda?
I think more homeowner education is needed on how well heat pumps can work, especially through positive news stories instead of the negative articles we often see. A lot of people still think heat pumps don’t work and will just end up costing customers a lot of money. This can be true with bad installations, but if customers are educated about how well some systems can operate (like with open energy monitors) and are shown where to find good installers and what questions to ask, they can avoid bad installation companies and have a much better experience.
Q Highlight a business achievement, project or case study you’re particularly proud of
It has been an incredible two years at Greenhome Heating. In 2023, we proudly received our first award, and we have recently built on that success by winning two more accolades at the 2024 North East Energy Efficiency Awards for our achievements in the boiler and heat pump industry.
Additionally, we were honoured with an invitation to share our insights and expertise with some of the industry’s leading installers at the 2024 Installer Show. We were featured on the Heat Geek stand, providing us with an excellent platform to discuss our innovative approaches and connect with other professionals dedicated to advancing energy efficiency.
Q Are you involved in any industry bodies, membership organisations or campaigns that you’d like to highlight?
I would like to give another mention to the two courses that really changed the trajectory of my business and have massively helped me get to where we are today: Heat Geek and Craig Wilkinsons Inner Circle.
Image credit: Greenhome Heating
