Three things worth knowing if you are planning work on a Kent home this summer: bills are going up again, the heat pump rollout has stalled a little, and the trades’ biggest show of the year is days away. Here is what each one means for your project.
Energy price cap rises 13 per cent from July
Ofgem has confirmed the energy price cap will rise about 13 per cent from 1 July to 30 September, taking a typical direct-debit household to roughly £1,862 a year, driven by higher wholesale gas prices. Dearer energy sharpens the case for the fabric-first improvements that pay back over time: insulation, draught-proofing, better glazing and efficient heating. If you are already renovating, it is worth modelling running costs now rather than after the work is done. Ofgem has the figures.
Heat pump installs slowed in early 2026 as the installer gap bites
Retrofit heat pump installations fell around 22 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with a year earlier, even though the UK has now passed 250,000 certified installs in total. A Nesta report warns the sector needs thousands more trained installers each year and points to red tape and weak financial incentives for gas engineers to retrain. For Kent homeowners the practical takeaway is to book an MCS-certified installer early and expect lead times, especially ahead of winter. MCS and Cooling Post have the numbers.
InstallerSHOW lands at the NEC on 23 to 25 June
InstallerSHOW runs at the NEC in Birmingham from 23 to 25 June, with more than 40,000 visitors and over 900 exhibitors across heating, heat pumps, plumbing, kitchens, bathrooms and renewables. It is where the kit and standards that filter into local roofing, kitchen, bathroom and heat pump projects get launched and demonstrated. Homeowners cannot attend, but it is a fair signal of what your installer will be specifying over the next year. Show details are on the InstallerSHOW site.
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- Kent Home Improvement News: June 2026
