National Heat Pump Week runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, and it is the best free spotlight heat pump installers will get before winter. The installers who win the enquiries it sparks will be the ones Google can clearly match to “heat pump” searches in their towns. Five fixes, most of them free and doable in an afternoon, make that happen.
Below is what National Heat Pump Week is, why your Google presence matters more than usual this autumn, and the five changes I would make first if I ran a heating firm.
What is National Heat Pump Week 2026?
National Heat Pump Week is a new industry campaign running from Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026. It is organised by the Heat Pump Association (HPA UK) and Nineteen Group. The HPA says it represents over 400 organisations, with members accounting for around 90% of the heat pumps sold in the UK. The week aims to build understanding of the technology, showcase installations and boost consumer confidence.
For installers, that means more homeowners reading about heat pumps in the press and on social media, and then doing what people always do next: searching Google for someone local.
Why does Google matter more for heat pump installers this autumn?
Three things have changed in the last few weeks.
- Funding may go local. At Labour Party Conference at the end of September, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh announced that the Warm Homes Plan will be devolved so that mayors, local government and communities can invest the money (Energy Live News, 29 September 2026). Nesta has since warned against devolving the Boiler Upgrade Scheme as part of this, and that has not been confirmed (Renewable Energy Installer, 2 October 2026). Either way, local schemes tend to lead to local searches.
- Google is tracking image searches. In September 2026 Google announced multimodal search reporting in Search Console, covering searches made with Google Lens and Circle to Search. People increasingly search with a photo, not just words.
- Reviews are harder to read signed out. Google Maps has started asking people to sign in to read all of a business’s reviews (Search Engine Roundtable, 30 September 2026). A homeowner who is not signed in sees your rating, your review count and only a handful of reviews, so the rest of your profile has to do more of the work.
And many heating firms are not ready. In our Yorkshire Heating Engineers Google Winter Check 2026, only 1 in 8 (12.7%, 40 of 314) heating and gas engineer listings in Sheffield, Bradford, York and Hull mentioned heat pumps anywhere on their Google profile, and a third (33.4%) showed no website link at all.
Fix 1: Add heat pump services to your Google Business Profile
If your profile only says “gas engineer” or “boiler repair”, Google has little reason to show you to someone searching “heat pump installer near me”. Add heat pump installation and heat pump servicing as services, with a plain one or two line description of each.
Google lets you pick from suggested services for your category or add your own (Google Business Profile Help). Keep custom service names clean: Google says to leave prices and phone numbers out of them, and rejects names that break its policies.
What should the description say?
Say what you install, the property types you work on and the area you cover, in the words a homeowner would use. “Air source heat pump installation for homes across Sheffield and Rotherham, including survey and design” beats a list of brand names.
Fix 2: Name the towns you actually cover
If grant money and promotion start to run through councils and combined authorities, homeowners will search by place: “heat pump installer Wakefield”, not just “heat pump installer”. Set your service areas on your Google profile, and give your main towns a clear mention on your website, ideally with a page or section for each area you genuinely serve.
Do not list places you will not travel to. A call you cannot take is a wasted lead and a frustrated homeowner.
Fix 3: Put real job photos on every heat pump page
With Google now reporting Lens and Circle to Search activity, your images are part of how you get found. Upload real photos of your own installs to your Google profile and your website: the outdoor unit in place, a tidy cylinder cupboard, the controls you fit. Use your own photos, never stock images or generated ones, and give each photo a descriptive file name and alt text on your site.
Fix 4: Make your profile work for signed-out customers
Because signed-out visitors now see only a few reviews, the basics carry more weight:
- Every field complete: categories, services, service areas, description and website.
- Opening hours that match when someone will actually answer the phone. In our Yorkshire study, 17.2% of listings showed no opening hours at all.
- A reply to every review you already have, good or bad. Replies show that a real person runs the business.
Thin profiles are common. In our Leeds Trades Google Study 2026, nearly 6 in 10 Leeds trade listings (59.7%) had fewer than 10 Google reviews, and 1 in 5 had none. When your review count is modest, a complete and active profile is what reassures the homeowner.
Fix 5: Keep your name, number and website identical everywhere
Your business name, phone number and website should match exactly on your website, your Google profile, trade directories and any ads you run. Mismatches confuse customers and can make it harder for Google to be sure all those listings are the same business.
This matters even more if you use Google Local Services Ads. HVAC is one of the UK categories, and Google’s UK screening page lists a business check and public liability insurance, with screening taking 3 to 4 weeks on average. Businesses that pass carry the Google Verified badge. Starting now means you are set up well before the coldest weeks.
Frequently asked questions
When is National Heat Pump Week 2026?
Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026, organised by the Heat Pump Association and Nineteen Group.
Is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme being devolved to councils?
Not as far as has been confirmed. The Energy Secretary announced that the Warm Homes Plan will be devolved; Nesta has warned against including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Check GOV.UK and Ofgem for the current scheme rules before quoting anything to a customer.
How long do these fixes take?
Fixes 1, 2, 4 and 5 can usually be done in an afternoon from the Google Business Profile dashboard and your website. Photos take longer only if you do not already have them, so start taking them on every job.
Do I need Local Services Ads to benefit from Heat Pump Week?
No. Your free Google profile and website come first. Local Services Ads can add paid visibility on top, and Google says you only pay when a potential customer gets in touch through the ad.
Want a second pair of eyes on your profile?
If you are not sure how your profile looks to a homeowner searching for a heat pump installer, start with our free Google profile check. Or, to talk through Google, Local Services Ads and search for your heating business, contact Unavoidable Marketing or call 07749 941111.
Let’s make you Unavoidable.
About the author: Andrew Heppinstall is the founder of Unavoidable Marketing, a Leeds agency that helps UK trades and local service businesses win work through Google Local Services Ads, SEO and paid search. His article “What makes Google ads effective?” appeared on the Business Matters page of PHAM News in September 2026.