- Warma UK is one of our best solar installers and best heat pump installers
- The Cheshire-based company provides heating and renewable energy installations across mainland Britain
- Warma excels at winning financial grants for its customers – and handles the whole process for you
Warma UK is a one-stop shop for sustainable energy and heating. The company provides and installs air source heat pumps, solar panels and other renewable energy measures for homes and businesses across Britain.
Cheshire-based Warma features in our lists of the UK’s best solar panel installers and best heat pump installers. In both articles we name it ‘best for grants’, because the company makes it a priority to win its customers as much funding as possible.
With heat pump grants such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) knocking £7,500 off the price of an installation (or even more if you live in Scotland), Warma’s help with grant applications is a big selling point.
In this review, our experts take a deeper dive into Warma UK’s products and services, and reveal what its customers say. We hope this will help you decide whether Warma is the ideal partner for your switch to renewables.
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Warma UK overview
Warma has grown fast to become one of the leading energy efficiency providers in the UK. Founded in 2016, the company initially served the North West of England from its HQ in Wilmslow. It now covers most of mainland Britain.
Like many nationwide installers, Warma provides numerous types of sustainable energy services. It installs EV chargers and insulation as well as solar panels and heat pumps, and offers full retrofit services for businesses. It also works with solar storage batteries, electric storage heaters and biomass boilers.
“Heat pumps and solar panels now form the heart of our business,” Warma’s head of marketing Mike Fox told us. “Between them they make up around 65% of our installations. They only accounted for 1% just a couple of years ago, so their growth has been remarkable.”
What really sets Warma UK apart is its commitment to winning grant funding for its customers. All reputable solar and heat pump installers offer advice on subsidies including the £7,500 BUS payment, but few are as proactive about it as Warma. “Who qualifies for free heating grants?” is even the first item under Heating on its website.
The Warma team helps customers work out what they qualify for, then fills in forms and submits applications on their behalf – even before knowing whether funding will be available. This is all done at no extra cost. It’s not sneakily added to the bill, either, judging by customer reviews that praise Warma’s competitive quotes.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at Warma’s grant application process and customer feedback, and at the products it installs.
What heat pumps and solar panels does Warma UK install?
Warma is one of many heat pump installers and solar panel installers to limit the range of products it works with. It currently installs Longi Hi-MO 5 solar panels and Samsung EHS heat pumps. These featured in our rundowns of the best solar panels and the best air source heat pumps respectively.
This means you don’t get a huge range of products to choose from. You may want to choose a different installer if you have your heart set on a different brand or model of heat pump or solar panel.
However, there are real advantages to using an installer that only works with one model (Solar Fast is another example.) The company has chosen the product it considers to be the best – and the best value. Its installers know the product inside out. For example, they know how to optimise a PV system for Longi panels and which components are the best fit. They’ll also be able to answer any questions and fix any problems you have.
How good are Warma UK’s solar panels?
The Longi Hi-MO 5 solar panel is affordable sibling of the Longi Hi-MO 7, which featured in our rundown of the most efficient solar panels you can buy. It has an excellent efficiency rating of 21.5% and a robust design for long-term reliability.
Warma chose these panels after trying out many others. “We’ve worked extensively with a wide range of solar panels, so we know which ones deliver best for homeowners,” says Mike Fox.
You can buy a Longi Hi-MO series 5 solar panel for around £100 from trade outlets, but we don’t recommend going the DIY route. Warma offers the expertise and experience – not to mention the insurance – to install panels to the highest standard. You also get a two-year workmanship guarantee with all Warma’s installations.
How good are Warma UK’s air source heat pumps?
Warma installs Samsung’s EHS (Eco Heating System) Monobloc heat pumps, specifically the R32 models and the latest R290 series.
These units feature in our list of the best air source heat pumps, and they’re renowned for their reliability, energy efficiency and durability. Warma describes them as the best choice for “a dependable heating solution” that “performs better than the fossil fuel equivalent they replace”.
Samsung’s EHS R290 units are a particularly eco-friendly choice. Their refrigerant has a lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) than older heat pump models. They also offer a broader range of capacities, so Warma’s installers have more freedom to tailor them to your home’s heating requirements.
What other products does Warma UK install?
Warma is one of few energy companies that can genuinely claim to be a one-stop shop. It has been installing home insulation and boilers since it launched nearly 10 years ago, and has since branched out into home EV chargers, solar storage batteries and biomass boilers as well as solar PV systems and heat pumps.
Given the rapid growth in popularity of renewables, it’s no surprise to hear that Warma is keen to expand its range of services. “We continuously look at other technologies to help homeowners optimise energy use and reduce their costs,” says Mike Fox. “Our approach is to partner with trusted experts if we don’t yet have the expertise in-house.”
What guarantees does Warma UK offer?
Whatever type of heating, insulation or solar PV system you’re having installed, Warma includes a comprehensive two-year insurance-backed workmanship guarantee. The company pledges that all its work is “completed to a high standard and fully protected”.
Its installations are further protected by manufacturers’ warranties, for example the 25-year product and performance warranty that comes with all Longi solar panels.
The Samsung air source heat pumps Warma installs come with a seven-year product warranty. This far exceeds the basic two-year warranty you’d get if you bought a Samsung ASHP off the shelf. Warma is classed as an “improved installer” by Samsung, hence the enhanced warranty terms.
That extra peace of mind is a big selling point when you’re spending thousands of pounds on your home.
How does the grant process work?
Hiring a company for your home heating or solar installation is daunting enough. The prospect of applying for a government grant to cover some or all of the cost can make it an intimidating process. Warma’s offer to take care of your grant applications gives it a distinct advantage.
First, the team looks for any funding you may qualify for. Then it fills in forms for you and submits your application. “We have to submit tons of information to the (grant authority) and photos etc about the install,” says Mike Fox. “When they’re satisfied everything is complete, we get paid.” So it’s not a quick process, but Warma pledges that it doesn’t charge you extra for the work it puts in.
Warma then automatically deducts the entire grant payment from its bill to you. For example, if it has successfully claimed the £7,500 BUS grant for air source heat pumps on your behalf, that money simply comes off your bill.
The company promises that no costs are passed onto you if your application is turned down or a grant isn’t available for that particular job.
Grants can often cover one part of an installation job but not another. For example, if you’re having a solar PV system and an EV charger installed, the ECO4 grant may cover the solar installation but not the charger. Warma would get the ECO4 funding for you, and only bill you for the EV charger.
What qualifications does Warma have?
All the companies we considered for inclusion in our roundups of the best installers are MCS-certified, and Warma is no exception. Its installations are all carried out to MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) standards and PAS 2035 (UK retrofit) standards.
These certifications ensure that a firm’s installations meet the highest benchmarks for quality and compliance. They also offer you peace of mind that the work is safe, reliable and will deliver the energy benefits and savings you’re hoping for.
Warma is also registered by TrustMark, a government-backed scheme that certifies installations as safe and carried out by experienced professionals.
These certifications aren’t just reassuring for you as a homeowner. They could also make all the difference to what you pay for an installation, since they’re a prerequisite if you want to access government grants for home improvements.
What do Warma UK’s customers say?
Warma boasts an “excellent” 4.5 Trustpilot score from 892 reviews at the time of writing. Those numbers can’t quite match the 5,000 positive reviews for a longer-established name such as Project Solar UK, but Warma’s tally is catching up.
Warma’s many 5-star reviews praise Warma as a good value installer whose quotes are competitive, transparent and realistic. Customers also seem pleased with the speed at which Warma could carry out multiple installations with minimal disruption. Reviews repeatedly praise the professionalism and friendliness of installation and support teams.
We were surprised to see so few complaints about delays caused by grant applications, given how much grant-funded work Warma carries out. When customers do leave poor feedback, Warma responds graciously and at length to get to the bottom of the issue.
Here are a few representative user comments from recent weeks:
“Air source heat pump system, solar panels and extra insulation via the ECO4 grant scheme. Ryan and his team were professional, fast, friendly and clean during the installation. We came across a few issues but Ryan managed them well and was totally committed to providing a satisfactory outcome” – Mike Mills, November 2024
“Very professional service, great help all along the way. Obtained all the clearance and organised the survey and contracts. No need for us to do anything, it was all done by Warma UK” – Robin, October 2024
“Excellent installation for a new boiler, the engineer worked endlessly and did a fantastic neat job. So lovely to be able to receive a grant which I never thought I would be entitled to” – Karen Burroughs, October 2024
“Our electric use has already gone down dramatically, from about 19kWh per day to about 5kWh. Our utility costs will go down from about £300 per month to under £100” – Susan, August 2024
Should you use Warma UK?
Warma UK is far from being the only renewables installer that helps its customers claim grant funding. But its commitment to making the process as easy as possible, coupled with its ability to deliver a whole range of low-carbon home improvements, pushes it to the front of a fast-growing market.
You won’t have to do much at all to claim the government money you’re entitled to if you choose Warma for your eco upgrade. You’ll still need to fill in a form to confirm eligibility criteria such as the energy rating of your home, and sign off the application when Warma sends it. Apart from that, all paperwork is managed between Warma, the funding body and your utility company.
Companies dealing with money on your behalf may make you nervous, but feedback from real Warma UK customers praises its transparency. Writing on Trustpilot, customer Carol Golden says: “Grant application and approval were dealt with easily once criteria were met. Information about the process was transparent, with good communication.”
Beyond support with grants, Warma UK receives an unusually high proportion of 5-star reviews for its competitive pricing, professional approach and tidy, timely installations. Customers say they feel they’re well looked after, even when things go wrong, and Warma’s guarantees provide years of reassurance.
Some may be put off by the limited choice of solar panels and heat pumps Warma provides. However we rate their choices highly, and would be glad to have our system installed by teams who know specific products so well. All in all, we’re happy to recommend its services – forgive the pun – warmly.
