Partner with us
Nesta tested the concept for Start at Home with a pilot scheme with SNIPEF involving 36 experienced heating engineers.
Given its success, we’re now encouraging organisations to set up their Start at Home schemes. This includes manufacturers, umbrella schemes, community initiatives, local or national governments and more.
Why should I run a
Start at Home scheme?
1
Capitalise on an audience looking for new products and services
Heating engineers are loyal to brands they love. But as they expand their business to include heat pumps they’ll be open to different products, brands and services to help them with this new area of work. Make the most of this rare opportunity by giving engineers a taste of your products, and show them why they should pick you for the future of their business.
2
Grow your customer base
If you’re a manufacturer, getting your heat pump into an engineer's house will help them act as a more confident and credible salesperson for your product. A small investment in providing a heat pump to an engineer could be a valuable gateway to organically build your customer base.
If you’re an MCS umbrella company, giving engineers a taste of your services and support will show them that heat pump installations don’t have to be scary or burdensome. Engineers will start doing more work with heat pumps thanks to your support, bringing you more business.
3
Low cost
Many scheme providers are using a Start at Home model that doesn’t cost them very much to deliver. This is because the cost of the equipment and services provided by many providers is covered by government grants. Scheme providers provide the kit to the Start at Home participant and reclaim the money from the government when the heat pump is installed.
Heating engineers will be comparing a range of schemes, so we suggest thinking about what more you can add to make your scheme stand out. For example, training, additional equipment, or introductory offers to paid-for services such as umbrella scheme subscriptions.
How do I offer a
Start at Home scheme?
We’ll support you to design and promote your Start at Home scheme as long as engineers taking part receive the following free of charge:
An air source heat pump up to 12kw, or equivalent ground source or air-to-air system (an extra charge can be applied for more powerful heat pumps).
Hot water storage up to 200L or equivalent thermal store or domestic hot water supply (an extra charge can be applied for larger cylinders).
Heat pump and/or system controls.
Heat pump-specific equipment and connection parts.
Support with heat loss and system design.
Support with installation, if requested.
You may also choose to include extras and other support. For example, some scheme providers offer heat pump training or on-site commissioning support as part of their scheme.
If you’d like to discuss your ideas, get in touch with us at startathome@nesta.org.uk.
What support can I get from Nesta?
1
Scheme design
Need some help thinking about how you could run a Start at Home scheme? We can help.
We know what’s important to engineers from running and evaluating our own trial Start at Home scheme.
2
Promotion
We’re keen to promote all available Start at Home schemes to engineers so they can find the best option for them.
We’re advertising this website to heating engineers through multiple online and offline channels.
3
Evaluation
We can help you evaluate the impact of your scheme so you can find out where it’s working best, identify areas for improvement and understand how it’s changing engineer skills, confidence and opinions.
Talk to us
Get in touch if you’d like to find out more or discuss how we could support you in offering a Start at Home scheme.
Get in touch on startathome@nesta.org.uk