Choosing a Heat Pump Installer

With grant support now up to €12,500, heat pumps are a genuinely attractive proposition for a lot of Irish homes — and that means more installers in the market, not all with the same standards behind them. None of the checks below are complicated, but they're worth actually asking about before you commit to anyone.

Ask about registrations and qualifications

• OFTEC registration — relevant if there's any oil-fired pipework involved, or an existing oil boiler being replaced or worked around.
• RGII registration — relevant for anything involving a gas installation.
• Is the specific heat pump model SEAI-approved? Only SEAI-approved products qualify for grant support, so this isn't just a workmanship question — it directly affects what you're able to claim.

Get warranty terms in writing

Ask exactly what's covered on the unit itself and on parts, and for how long — then get the answer in writing before you sign anything. A verbal "sure you'll be covered" isn't a warranty, and it's not something you can fall back on if a fault develops two years down the line.

Are they an official agent for the brand?

There's a real difference between an installer who is an official agent for the heat pump they're selling, and one who has sourced a single unit through a wholesaler as a one-off job. An official agent has direct access to genuine parts, manufacturer technical support and proper backing if something goes wrong — worth asking the question directly rather than assuming.

Aftercare — who do you actually call?

Ask what happens after the installation van leaves. Is there a direct number for the person who did the work, or a general call centre? What's covered by the installer's own aftercare versus the manufacturer's guarantee and parts warranty? A good installer will have a straightforward, specific answer to this — not a shrug.

Get a written savings estimate, not a vague promise

A credible installer should be able to walk through your actual usage and current running costs and give you a specific figure for your own property — not just an assurance that you'll "save a fortune." If you can't get a number in writing, treat that as a warning sign rather than a formality. It's also worth reading through your options in our guide to whether it's time to upgrade at all before you get quotes.

Where Sweeney Renewables fits

For what it's worth, this is the same checklist we'd want a customer to run through on us. We're OFTEC and RGII registered, we're the official Irish agents for Orca rather than a one-off reseller, every heat pump we install carries a 12-year guarantee and 2-year parts warranty in writing, and a free savings review gives you a specific figure for your own property before you commit to anything.