" />Refresh has been working with plumbers and heating installers for over a decade. Lots has changed, but one thing has remained constant: not only are they incredibly skilled at their trade, but they also happen to be able to undertake their own accountancy, IT, navigate the world of HMRC, HR legislation, project management and marketing.
It’s a lot, right?
Even within the field of marketing, ways for brands to reach installers, and installers to reach customers, has evolved at an incredibly fast pace. What’s even more amazing is how plumbers and installers keep up with the pace of change within their own field (after all, every day off the road in training is a day of pay ‘lost’), let alone with their own marketing too.
Plumbing and heating influencers
Just as social media has revolutionised the way in which other sectors undertake marketing activity, so too has it in the heating and plumbing sector. It’s now possible to find plumbers on Instagram with 100k+ genuine followers, with lots of incredibly skilled micro-influencers with 10K+ followers.
Many would cringe at being called an influencer: they never set out to gain popularity on the platform. Plumbers are often on the road and on site on their own all day posting their thoughts and opinions on social media and receiving interaction, provides validation and in some aspects, company, from fellow plumbers and installers facing similar challenges on site.
Increase in social media use for plumbers and heating installers
In the past couple of years in particular, dozens of plumbers and heating installers have grown wise to the potential of their social media accounts. And why not; working on the tools takes a toll physically, so to be able to gain a days’ wage per week from social media activity rather than heavy grafting is tempting. They are open to deals with brands – as long as they align with their own values. For many of these installers, just as their integrity with a customer is critical to their future, so is working with the right brand; one that is respected, credible and professional – just like them.
Understanding plumbers and heating engineers
In late 2025, Refresh undertook an in-depth survey with over 50 plumbers and heating installers, to uncover everything from their buying habits to their preferred media – and more.
While much of the research validated what the Refresh team already knew, as always there were curveballs! What the research has done is enable Refresh to inform its campaigns for brands within the heating and plumbing sector for 2026 and 2027.
It also helped Refresh to understand what’s changed since the last research undertaken just 18 months prior. It shows how quickly the landscape is changing and how much the sands are shifting.
We interviewed a cross-section of the sector:
- 50 males and 4 females
- Age 18-24 (5), age 25-34 (10). Age 35-44 (29), age 45-54 (6), age 55-64 (4)
- UK-wide – across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
- Business owners with employees (27), self-employed and sole trader (17), Employed full-time (8), Apprentices (2)
- 37 were qualified to at least Level 3
What’s important to plumbers and heating installers?
The message from the research to brands and manufacturers was clear. To win new business from heating installers and plumbers, provide:
- Quality training – training that is easy to access and provides the qualifications needed for them to win higher value jobs
- Quality products – they don’t want to be called back to site for a poor performing product. In this sector any sub-standard product within a system is likely to cause a great deal of problems
- Strong customer service – on-site they need answers immediately. Not only is money at stake, its reputation too. To win the trust of a plumber or heating engineer, provide a direct line into a team of support people who can problem solve over the phone and you will win hearts and minds
Over the next three blogs (keep your eyes peeled) we’ll delve into these areas in more detail to reveal our findings and our opinions about those findings too. Meanwhile if you’d like to talk to Refresh about how we can help with amplifying your brand working with plumbers and installers, contact us today.
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