Advising regional heat pump adoption for local government
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Read our work with the West Midlands Combined Authority as we advise on heat pump adoption.
The Client's Challenge
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), covering 18 local councils, aims to reach net zero by 2041 and has identified low‑carbon domestic heating as essential to achieving this goal. Its Net Zero Five Year Plan estimates that 292,000 homes must be retrofitted by 2026, with heat pumps expected to play a central role.
To support this transition and grow the regional heat pump market, the WMCA needed insight into local supply chain capacity and challenges, such as skills shortages, low demand, barriers to entry, and fuel poverty, to prioritise investment and target limited resources for maximum economic and social impact.
Talan's Solution
The WMCA commissioned Talan to assess the West Midlands’ heat pump manufacturing and supply chain, including component production, to identify how to grow the manufacturing base, support installers and stimulate demand while addressing regional weaknesses.
Talan delivered this through literature review, SWOT analysis, stakeholder surveys and interviews, and quantitative economic modelling. These insights were synthesised into a clear investment case, setting out priority interventions across the supply chain, including consumer demand, and showing how each tackles key barriers to growth.
Our Impact
The findings will inform the West Midlands’ heat pump supply chain strategy, from manufacturing through to installation, maintenance and consumer demand, and guide where the WMCA should target investment.
The research identified regional component manufacturers not currently supplying the heat pump market, highlighting opportunities to expand the supply chain. It will also help direct Integrated Settlement funding across buildings, skills and retrofit priorities, with the insights already shared with the WMCA’s internal Policy Working Group to support early implementation of the recommendations.
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