Heating Installer Awards 2026

Heating Installer Awards 2026 — Here’s Why You Should Throw Your Hat in the Ring

If you’ve ever stood back after a particularly tricky install — the kind where you’ve wrestled a heat pump into a tight plant room, designed your way around an awkward pipe run, or rescued a job that nobody else would touch — and thought *”that was a proper piece of work”*, then 2026 might be your year. The **Heating Installer Awards 2026** are now officially open for entries, and the UK’s heating community is once again being invited to put its best work forward.

Now in its eleventh year, the awards have become one of the most recognisable celebrations of installer talent in the country. Whether you’re a sole trader covering a single town or part of a wider team working across regions, the platform is the same: real recognition for real work.

What the Awards Are All About

At their heart, the Heating Installer Awards exist to shine a light on the engineers who keep British homes warm — the people doing the hands-on work that the rest of the industry talks about in conference rooms. The competition invites installers from across the UK to submit their best **domestic project**, with a particular focus on jobs that demonstrate technical know-how, problem-solving and quality craftsmanship.

The format is refreshingly straightforward. No project is too big or too small. A small flat retrofit with a clever radiator solution can sit alongside a full renewables installation in a listed property. What the judges care about is the **thinking** behind the work and the standard of the **finish**.

The Categories: Something for Every Installer

The awards span several categories, ensuring excellence is celebrated wherever it lives in the industry. For 2026, entrants can compete in:

• Regional Awards — One winner is selected from each region of the UK, giving local installers the chance to be crowned the best in their patch before going head-to-head for the national title.
• Best HVAC Installer — For those working across heating, ventilation and air conditioning. With HVAC growing in importance for both new builds and retrofits, this category has become increasingly competitive.
• Best Renewables Installer — Celebrating the engineers leading the low-carbon charge. With heat pumps, solar thermal, and hybrid systems becoming more mainstream, this is a category to watch.
• Rising Star — Aimed squarely at the next generation. If you’ve recently qualified or you’re in the early stages of your career, this is your moment.

There’s also the National Winner title, which represents the pinnacle of the awards — chosen from across the regional winners and announced live at InstallerSHOW 2026.

How to Enter (and Why It’s Easier Than You Think)

You can nominate yourself or be put forward by a customer. That last bit is important: if you’ve done outstanding work for a homeowner, they can submit your name on your behalf, and the awards team will get in touch to fill in any missing details.
The process is built around showcasing one strong project. You don’t need a portfolio of fifty jobs — you need one that demonstrates how you approached a challenge, what technical decisions you made, and how it turned out. Photos help. So does a clear write-up of the brief and the result.
A useful tip from past winners: don’t underestimate the small jobs. Some of the most memorable winning projects haven’t been sprawling renovations but tightly scoped pieces of work where the engineer found an elegant fix for an awkward problem.

Who’s Behind It in 2026

The awards are backed by a strong line-up of industry sponsors and partners. In 2026, sponsorship is being provided by Danfoss, Powered Now, Samsung Climate Solutions and Stelrad — all major names in the UK heating supply chain. The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), InstallerSHOW and PR agency Refresh are also signed up as partners.
That kind of industry backing matters. It’s not just a logo on a banner — it means winners get real benefits, including access to training sessions, exclusive industry events, and ongoing support from established names. A reputable Board of Trustees, made up of previous winners and respected industry figures, helps oversee a fair and transparent judging process.

The Prizes Are Worth Talking About

While the trophy itself is the headline (it really does change reputations), the prize bundle for 2026 is generous. Winners receive a haul of products from the sponsors, plus a three-night stay at Danfoss’s HQ in Denmark — a genuine bucket-list trip for many installers, combining travel with deep insight into one of Europe’s biggest heating technology businesses.
Beyond the tangible prizes, the long-term benefit is exposure. Past winners have spoken openly about how the title has helped grow their businesses, opened doors with merchants and manufacturers, and changed how customers perceive them.
Craig Gilhome, the 2025 Best Heating Installer, won for a complex barn conversion project that combined mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), a ground source heat pump, and air conditioning. Reflecting on his win, Craig said “I’ve seen how winning this award can change the future for an installer. I’ve always delivered my best work for my customers and winning the national award was the best recognition I could have asked for — it’s really helped my business too.”
That’s the kind of result entrants in 2026 are hoping to repeat.

Public Voting Counts Too

One thing worth knowing: customer and public votes make up a meaningful portion of an installer’s overall score — roughly a fifth. That means shouting about your entry matters. Tell your customers, share it on social media, encourage your community to back you. A great project can be lifted further by genuine public support.
For installers who’ve built strong relationships with their clientele, this is where those years of good work pay off in a tangible way. Loyal customers love getting behind the people who’ve looked after their homes.

Why the Timing Matters in 2026

This year’s awards land at an interesting moment for the UK heating industry. The government’s Warm Homes Plan, published in January 2026, has committed £15 billion to upgrading 5 million UK homes — including a substantial push on heat pumps, solar, and battery storage. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has been extended through to the end of the parliament, and the Future Homes Standard will require heat pumps in all new English homes from 2028.
In other words, the installers being celebrated now will be the ones shaping how millions of British households are heated for decades to come. Recognition at this stage isn’t just a feather in the cap — it’s a marker that says “I am one of the people leading this transition.”

Key Dates to Remember

• Entries close: February 2026
• Regional winners and category finalists announced: ahead of the ceremony
• National Winner announced: at InstallerSHOW 2026
• InstallerSHOW 2026 dates: 23–25 June 2026, NEC Birmingham

Should You Enter?

Honestly — yes. If you’ve got a project from the last year or so that you’re genuinely proud of, there’s no good reason to keep it to yourself. The worst-case scenario is that you don’t win, but you’ve still added a credible industry award nomination to your business CV. The best case is that you join the line-up of installers whose careers have taken a different shape after picking up the trophy.
In a year where the heating industry is being asked to grow faster, train more engineers, and deliver a cleaner future, recognising the people doing the work well has never mattered more.
Get your entry in. Back yourself. The next national winner is out there installing right now — and it might be you.

Entries can be submitted online via the official Heating Installer Awards website. For more information about InstallerSHOW 2026, including free registration, visit the event’s official channels.