Q&A with Craig Dolan – Reflecting on his time as HPA Chair

1. Since you  stepped into the role of Chair in 2023, what has been the biggest change you’ve seen in the heat pump industry?

The most significant change I’ve seen whilst I’ve been in the role is the proactive engagement from Government. Before, there seemed to be some underlying mistrust of heat pumps, even though they are in no way a new technology. Now, there seems to be a lot more positivity and pragmatism. We’ve seen this in the HPA with our sales figures, which saw just under 100,000 heat pumps sold to the UK market in 2024 and which we update DESNZ on  monthly. There’s been a definite change in tone and cadence to the meetings we have with officials now, and it feels like the tide has turned from how can we avoid making this change to how can we make this happen. 

2. What is your proudest achievement during your time as Chair of the HPA?

I’ve been reflecting on this over the last few months, but ultimately, I’m incredibly proud of the way the association has grown over the past 4 years. It started with hiring Charlotte as Chief Executive and then expanding the team, which has been essential to supporting our growing membership. Our members now reflect the entire heat pump supply chain and are so keen to be involved in the HPA’s work and support collaboration. I wanted to build on the progress that Graham Wright and Phil Hurley made in their time as Chairs, and it has definitely exceeded my expectations of what I thought would be possible in two years. The fact that we have created an established and trusted voice for the industry and have really levelled up at every challenge is a testament to our work and our members’ commitment to progress.

3. Is there a particular moment or experience that has stayed with you?

One moment that stands out to me is representing the HPA at a Government Select Committee regarding Grid Connections. It was a real ‘How did I get here?’ moment! It felt great to be able to provide a voice for the sector on a really important topic. It can be difficult to go through the process of connecting heat pumps to the energy system, but it’s people’s heating – you can’t mess about with it. We need to make sure the process is as smooth for households and businesses as possible. Getting the feedback from the committee that they felt I was ‘thoughtful, thorough, and trustworthy’ was a career highlight, and this is the approach I have aimed to maintain throughout my tenure as Chair.

Another memorable moment is being invited to speak with Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Minister for Energy Consumers, when she was first appointed to office. We were also honoured to have her attend our Member Networking Reception last year and I’m looking forward to her Ministerial Address at the HPA Conference in November. But really, it’s hard to pick just one thing! You rattle through and you think ‘Blimey, we’ve done a lot!’.

4. Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of the HPA and the wider heat pump sector?

We’ve definitely got positive momentum going with the heat pump sector now. The anti net-zero sentiment is something we need to be very aware of, but heat pumps have so many other benefits for energy security, healthy homes and people. Net zero is really just another positive outcome of progressing with the rollout.

I’m also really looking forward to our first Conference in November, which was something I wanted to achieve so that we could bring together all our members and stakeholders.

Really, there is quite a lot to be positive about. There’s a lot to do, but we’re making progress and it’s important to remember that there’s no one way of doing things. It’s great to know now that the ball is rolling, and we can see this in our UK heat pump sales figures.  Mass adoption of heat pumps has always been on the horizon, and now it feels like it’s getting a bit more into focus.

5. What advice would you offer to the next Chair as they step into the role?

Enjoy it! It can take up a lot of bandwidth in your head, but you just have to keep an eye on the horizon and keep things on course. There might be bumps in the road, but they’re just bumps, not impermeable medieval walls! Just roll with it and enjoy working with the members and listening to different points of view. Diplomacy is key.

It’s also just about making sure the HPA team are happy and has the direction and headspace to keep making progress and moving forward with the association’s work.

6. Now that you’re no longer fielding emails from the HPA team, how are you planning on enjoying the extra headspace?

I will probably fill that extra headspace with more work from my day job!

One thing I’m really looking forward to is not reading out the whole Competition Law Statement at the start of every meeting! I’ve insisted that it’s just as difficult to read for the next chair.

But I still want to be involved and proactive within the association. I’d like to get stuck into some of the working group activities a bit more, especially the technical and commercial ones.  

I’m excited to see what’s next, as we’ve done so much work behind the scenes over the past two years, it will be great to see more of it come into action!

Craig’s leadership has helped steer the HPA through a period of significant growth  and his contributions have left a lasting impact. As the association looks to the future, we thank him for his dedication and immense support.