Europe’s heat pump rollout is accelerating due to energy security fears and high gas prices, supported by policy, but the numbers behind the sector point to a clear constraint: a shortage of skilled installers, planners and technicians that remains one of the main bottlenecks to scaling deployment.
EHPA’s latest webinar addressed this challenge with a focus on data, deliverables and ready-to-use solutions, marking the launch of the SKILLS4HP Cluster — five EU projects joining forces to advance the skills needed in the heat pump sector.
The session brought together experts from across EU-funded projects working on skills development and workforce capacity in the heat pump sector.
Among them, SKILLSAFE EU — represented by Marco Masini from Italian consultancy CSIM — has an investment of over €1.36 million. Its core objective is highly specific and technical: to develop industry-wide guidelines for the safe handling of heat pumps using the R290 refrigerant across the full lifecycle – from transport and installation to maintenance and disposal.
A first major output is already available in the form of the SKILLSAFE EU Guidelines published in May 2025, supported by technical papers and a structured on-site risk assessment methodology. The project is also organising trial trainings with installers to validate and refine these guidelines in real conditions. Training sessions have already taken place in the Netherlands, Spain and the Czech Republic, and more are planned in other EU countries. Feedback on the content and knowledge transmitted to participants has always been very positive so far.
The webinar highlighted why this level of detail matters. Current regulation distinguishes between environmental certification under the updated F-Gas Regulation, which facilitates the shift to non-fluorinated alternatives, and occupational safety obligations under EU workplace legislation. In practice, this creates two parallel frameworks that technicians must navigate on site.
SKILLSAFE data shows that risks change significantly between installation and maintenance phases, especially when working with flammable refrigerants such as propane.
Other projects in the cluster bring equally concrete contributions. HEATCRAFTHP, represented by Wilko Rohlfs from RWTH Aachen University, with a budget of around €1.58 million, focuses on identifying skill gaps and embedding learning directly into the workplace. Its research, based on stakeholder interviews, confirms persistent issues such as a lack of hands-on training and insufficient knowledge in hydraulics and system design.
In response, the project is developing simulation-based learning tools and a full A to Z heat pump course, accessible through a multilingual digital platform that combines theory, interactive modules and performance tracking.
On the deployment side, install.res, represented by Herbert Tretter from the Austrian Energy Agency and Tadeja Janša from the Jožef Stefan Institute, is working on practical implementation and financing models across several European countries, including Austria, the Netherlands and Poland. Its data points to large-scale potential, with up to 2 million heat pump-ready homes in the Netherlands and around 470,000 decentralised gas boilers in Vienna alone.
To unlock this potential, the project is developing a structured toolbox that supports decision-making across the entire user journey. This includes catalogues of delivery and business models, as well as a fast-track scheme designed to simplify complex renovation and installation choices for both professionals and end users.
Across all projects, a common pattern emerges. The focus is shifting from abstract training concepts to measurable outputs: guidelines, simulators, digital platforms, risk matrices and decision-support tools. The cluster model aggregates these results into a more visible and scalable framework, aiming to maximise the impact of EU funding and ensure uptake across Member States.
The webinar made it clear that the challenge is not only about training more people, but about training them better, faster and in a more coordinated way. With concrete tools already available and more in development, the SKILLS Cluster positions itself as a central interface between policy, industry and training providers, supporting the workforce needed to deliver Europe’s heat pump transition.
