UK AI Jobs/Construction & Trades/Heat pump engineer

Hands-on, growing

Heat pump engineer

33.0K UK workers · typical pay £35,000 · entry route Entry Level / GCSEs grades 1-3. Projected growth of +9% to 2035.

Post to X LinkedIn

jsonrole csvall 738

How AI is actually used here · measured · Anthropic Economic Index

41%

Augmentation

AI mostly does the task

6.2×

Time compression

~1.8h → ~18min

2.6/5

AI autonomy

how hands-off it runs

59%

Automation

of measured usage

How the collaboration splits · the six measured modes

directive 42.4%learning 19.3%task iteration 19.2%feedback loop 15.8%validation 2%unclassified 1.3%

What people make with AI here

explanation / answer28%advice / recommendation21%document / report12%

Real Claude.ai usage mapped to this occupation's SOC group, Apr+May 2026, CC-BY. Claude users only; task times model-estimated; augment/automate is how AI is used, not a count of jobs lost. Method →

Facts · ONS + NCS

UK workers (2024)

33.0K

Median pay

£35.0K

Our scored call · a labelled hypothesis, not a measurement

AI exposure

2 / 10

Elasticity

7.5 / 10

2035 outlook

+9%

Exposure · 2/10

Why AI can do the work

This is a highly physical role requiring manual dexterity, on-site problem solving, and installation in unpredictable environments like private homes and businesses. While AI may assist with peripheral tasks like system design, diagnostics, or customer scheduling, the core work of installing and repairing hardware remains insulated from automation.

Elasticity · 7.5/10

Whether demand expands when it gets cheaper

Massive latent demand for decarbonisation and retrofitting is currently suppressed by high installation costs, which would unlock exponentially as labor costs fall.

Trajectory to 2035

Headcount grows +9%, a Jevons-pattern curve.

Adoption scenario

×1.00 · Consensus

Change the scenario in the nav to reshape this curve.

Headcount projection · 2024 → 2035

Baseline 33.0K workers (2024) · % change vs baseline

Peak 2035 +9%2035 +9%

Peak headcount

2035

+9% vs 2024

2035 endpoint

+9%

35.9K workers

Time to −10%

–

Never crosses in model

Total wage pool

£1.2B

pay × jobs

Where this role lives

UK employment share by region, SOC-joined to 5315.

South East

22.7K · 14.4%

North West

18.8K · 11.9%

Yorkshire and The Humber

18.5K · 11.7%

South West

16.3K · 10.3%

London

13.7K · 8.7%

East Midlands

12.9K · 8.2%

West Midlands

12.4K · 7.9%

Scotland

11.8K · 7.5%

Gender split

Majority-male role (100.0% men).

0 women · 0%130.1K men · 100%

Career pivots · same category, higher elasticity

Five roles with transferable skills and better demand dynamics.

Elasticity 8.5/10 · AI 1/10

Solar panel installer

£36,000+12%