The real clean energy power players

The UK needs to install 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028 to hit net zero targets. In 2023, we managed just 55,000.

It’s not a product issue.

It’s not a lack of government push.

It’s a marketing problem.

Because while clean energy brands are focused on consumer campaigns, the professionals who actually drive uptake – the specifiers and installers – are still being left out of the conversation.

If you want to unlock real growth in the heat pump and renewables sector, it’s time to start influencing smarter.

Here’s why winning over specifiers and installers isn’t just a good idea. It’s the best strategy.

‍

1. The key decisions happen long before the customer is involved

Homeowners aren’t asking for heat pumps by name. They’re being offered them by the specifier who wrote it into the project, or the installer who priced it. And too often, the product they’re offered isn’t yours.

Specifiers, like architects, planners and project managers, make upstream decisions that shape what gets installed. And installers, who the customer often trusts most, either reinforce your value or quietly recommend something else.

If you’re not written into the spec, and backed by the installer, you’re not even in the room when the decision is made. That’s why B2B influence is key. 

It’s what gets you into the tender.

It’s what keeps you in when costs get challenged.

And it’s what turns ‘maybe’ into ‘let’s go with that one.’

‍

2. They carry the weight of your brand promise but they need help

Heat pump brands are asking specifiers and installers to explain:

• Complex systems
• Performance claims
• Price justifications
• Planning regulations
• Installation timelines
• Disruption risks

All while protecting their own reputation.

And when your messaging is vague, your assets are hard to find, and your tools aren’t helpful, they’re the ones left to carry the load. You’re expecting them to be your champions. So champion them first.

They need:

• Clear, trustworthy spec templates
• Honest messaging around costs, noise, and compatibility
• Installation guides that actually help
• Data and case studies that prove the value
• Easy access to planning rules and post-sale support details

This isn’t ‘nice to have’ trade marketing. This is what makes or breaks your chance of being chosen.

‍

‍

3. In a saturated market, their recommendation is your biggest differentiator

In 2023 alone, over 1,000 heat pump brands and sub-brands were active in the UK.

To the average consumer, they all sound the same.

This creates a choice paradox – too many options, too little clarity. That’s where trust comes in. Installers and specifiers simplify the decision for customers. They shortcut the noise. And that makes them your edge.

If they’ve used your product before and trust it? You’re in.

If your support’s been poor or your info lacking? You’re out.

In clean energy, awareness is easy but being recommended is everything. Brands that get this right don’t just get installed. They get remembered, re-used, and specified again.

‍

So what’s stopping more brands from doing it?

Partly, habit. Most marketing is still stuck in B2C thinking. But partly, assumption. Some brands believe specifier and installer trust will come ‘because the market’s growing’. But growth doesn’t happen by default. It happens by design.

You need to build support. Proactively. Strategically. Credibly.

The brands that grow will be the ones that help others do their job better. That make it easier for the people around you to say yes to your product:

• The planner under pressure to get fast approvals
• The installer who needs a confident, quiet fit
• The homeowner who just wants hot water and a warm home – without surprises

At Continuous, we help brands turn complexity into clarity, and trust into momentum.

We’ve helped premium products get specified over cheaper rivals.

We’ve helped trade-first brands become market leaders.

And we’ve helped manufacturers move from being in the market to owning their space within it.

‍

Want to own your space?

Download our guide: The Insider’s Guide to Specifiers

Book a 20-min call to talk about trade-driven growth in renewables

‍