The UK has set ambitious targets for heat pump adoption, but the industry is still far off track. While public interest is growing and subsidy schemes are in place, the installation capacity on the ground can’t keep up. Demand isn’t the issue. The real bottleneck is execution.Most installers still run their businesses with a mix of Excel spreadsheets, phone calls, PDFs, and disconnected quoting tools. Planning is manual, communication is fragmented, and compliance steps are handled separately, if at all. A standard heat pump installation can take several working days and often requires multiple visits, compared to one or two days for a gas boiler replacement.This creates real constraints: longer project timelines, stretched team capacity, and tighter margins. Customers wait weeks for quotes and months for installs. And in emergencies -when a boiler fails, a heat pump often isn’t even considered. It simply takes too long to deliver. Unless the day-to-day operations of installers are digitised and streamlined, the heat pump rollout won’t scale, regardless of how strong the policy support may be.

The Solution

Spruce provides a purpose-built SaaS platform for heat pump installers. From initial lead qualification and site assessment to quoting, project planning, and documentation, the platform digitises and streamlines the entire install journey.The software helps small and mid-sized HVAC companies bring structure to their operations; reducing admin time, standardising planning, and cutting down on costly errors. Features like heat loss calculators, template-driven quoting, and integrated documentation make the process faster and more predictable.This matters, because admin and quoting are key friction points: nearly half of UK heat pump customers drop out after receiving a quote, and many installers report spending more time on paperwork than on actual installs. With Spruce, teams can complete more jobs per month without increasing headcount, while improving conversion rates and customer experience.

Why we invested

The UK needs to increase heat pump installations from around 60,000 per year today to 600,000 by 2028. Achieving a significant growth in installations won’t be possible through training alone. While workforce expansion is necessary, the bigger lever lies in improving productivity and reducing friction across the installer workflow.Spruce addresses exactly this bottleneck. The team understands the operational realities of the UK HVAC market and has built a product that fits how installers actually work, not how policymakers assume they do. Their solution tackles key blockers: inconsistent quoting, fragmented communication, manual documentation, and long lead times.From the beginning we were convinced by the strength of the founding team. They combine hands-on engineering experience with a track record in scaling digital products, a critical mix for solving problems at the intersection of software and skilled trades. Their approach is pragmatic, execution-driven, and totally focused on the customer.Beyond the UK, the opportunity is even larger. Most European countries face the same challenge: high heat pump adoption targets, but fragmented installer landscapes and operational inefficiencies. As governments across the EU shift focus from incentives to execution, the need for scalable installer infrastructure becomes a priority.