How does Switch Together work?

What is group-buying?

Our group-buying scheme works by grouping residents from across the country together and acting as an intermediary for the buyers to increase their bargaining power.

We do this by inviting certified installers, who have been vetted to assure their high-quality and reliability, to compete via an auction on who can offer the best price for a homeowner in search of an installation.

This helps us to ensure that you get the most competitive offers available from pre-vetted installers who you know you can trust!

The process

1. Registration
   When you register online, you will be asked a few questions about your house. Using industry or local averages, we can estimate the most suitable size for your heat pump and hot water cylinder. This information is used to create your Personal Offer, but the installer will further tailor the product to your specific requirements during your on-site survey.
   
   
2. Auction
   The auction is a reverse auction, meaning the lowest bid wins. The winning bid sets the price for all heat pump systems. All installers are pre-vetted and must comply with our product criteria to guarantee the quality of the offer.
   
   
3. Personal Offer
   After the auction, you will receive a Personal Offer that includes information about the winning installer, a complete system, costs, and savings. This information is for you to consider. If you have more questions, you can always contact the Switch Together Helpdesk.
   
   
4. You decide
   After you have received your Personal Offer, you will need to decide whether you want to accept it or not. When you are ready to make a decision, you can accept or decline your Personal Offer. If you choose to go ahead and accept with Switch Together, we will ask you for a £150 deposit. This deposit is conditionally refundable.

How do we qualify heat pump installers for our auctions?

Heat pump installers who want to participate in a Switch Together auction must undergo a rigorous qualification process.

As a minimum, they must meet the following criteria to be able to take part in our auctions:

• Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited.
• The Home Insulation & Energy Systems Quality Assured Contractors Scheme (HIES) or Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) members.
• Demonstrate that they have a team and processes that can support a high volume of customers in a high-quality manner.
• Pass the financial due diligence conducted by independent experts which demonstrates they are financially stable.
• Offer an Insurance-backed guarantee for workmanship and products that meet our quality criteria.