What InstallerSHOW 2026 revealed about the future of energy efficiency
This year’s event highlighted growing interest in performance, system efficiency and independent verification
Every year, the InstallerSHOW brings together the building services and built environment sectors at the NEC Birmingham. This year’s event featured more than 1,000 exhibitors and 40,000 professionals from across the heat, water, air and energy sectors. InstallerSHOW gives manufacturers a platform to showcase their products, engage with customers and gather market insight. Purchasers, procurers and specifiers have the opportunity to explore new technologies and discuss the latest industry developments. This year's show offered an expanded exhibition space, a programme of professional development sessions and a new area dedicated to electrical tools and products. It also hosted the World Plumbing Conference 2026.
The ETL team spoke with several exhibitors, gathering insights into emerging trends and product developments that help inform its ongoing work with manufacturers and purchasers of energy efficient technologies. One notable observation was the number of manufacturers with dedicated sustainability, carbon and environmental specialists. This pointed to the growing importance of energy efficiency within product development and customer engagement.
Although exhibitors represented a wide range of technologies and markets, conversations often returned to the same themes. Energy efficiency remains a priority and customer expectations around product performance are growing. Manufacturers described increasing demand for information that extends beyond efficiency ratings to include system optimisation, operational performance and whole-life impacts. Reflecting on these expectations, many exhibitors also described the growing importance of independent verification and the impartial evidence needed to substantiate product claims. An ETL listing helps address this need by allowing manufacturers to demonstrate that their products are among the top 25% most energy efficient in their category. For purchasers, it offers reassurance that technologies have met rigorous, government-backed criteria.
InstallerSHOW 2026 showcased a wide range of technologies across the building services sector.
Energy efficiency as a business priority
Throughout the exhibition, manufacturers described an ongoing process of reviewing and developing their product portfolios in response to changing technologies and evolving market requirements. Many underlined the value of events such as InstallerSHOW as an opportunity to speak directly with customers and industry professionals, gather feedback, and better understand changing market needs.
These conversations also gave the ETL team first-hand insight into the priorities, challenges and decision-making factors influencing manufacturers and purchasers. Manufacturers frequently described energy efficiency as a core business priority, considered alongside operating costs, regulatory compliance and the long-term efficiency of buildings and equipment.
Autoflame Engineering echoed this, describing growing demand from organisations looking to improve the performance of existing combustion systems. They shared:
“With rising fuel prices, people are looking to save money where they can. A lot of the people we deal with are making the active decision to try and reduce their emissions, upgrading their burners, upgrading their boilers and optimising their combustion."
Jayven Palmer-Fisher, Technical Sales Engineer
He explained that Autoflame is focused on reducing emissions, improving fuel efficiency and helping customers comply with requirements such as the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD) and the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS).
Xylem Water Solutions noted its customers are taking a more comprehensive view of product performance, long-term environmental impact and operating costs:
"We definitely see changes in trends when it comes to customer requests related to product sustainability or product disclosures. Energy efficiency is a big thing. We are being asked about reporting when it comes to embodied carbon and also operational carbon, so quantifying the emissions associated with the use of our products."
Chiara Lucia Tregnago, Strategy and Product Support Lead
A more integrated approach to heating
Heat pumps were among the most prominent technologies on display at this year’s InstallerSHOW. Rather than focusing solely on the products themselves, conversations often centred on integration, controls, connectivity and optimisation. This shows a shift across the industry, with manufacturers and purchasers placing greater emphasis on how technologies perform as part of an integrated heating system, rather than as individual products.
The strong presence of heat pump technologies also led to discussions about the ETL’s alignment with Eurovent Certification. Through this alignment, manufacturers can use existing Eurovent Certified Performance test reports to support ETL applications across six Heat Pump sub-technology categories, as well as Evaporative Air Coolers, Packaged Chillers and Refrigerated Display Cabinets. You can read more about the ETL’s alignment with Eurovent Certification here.
The role of recognised industry standards
Alongside new technologies and product development, discussions focused on how the ETL can help manufacturers demonstrate the energy efficiency of their products and differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive market. The ETL team spoke with manufacturers interested in expanding their product listings and making greater use of their ETL accreditation across their marketing and communications.
As customers seek greater reassurance about product performance and become more alert to greenwashing, several manufacturers highlighted the value of independent, third-party recognition in substantiating product claims and demonstrating compliance with recognised industry standards. Vaillant offered their perspective, noting:
"It's not just simple enough to have our word of excellence and validation. They want to see that products are approved, certified and validated from places such as the ETL."
Jo Salt, Product Manager for Renewables
Manufacturers were also interested in how an ETL listing can increase product visibility and create new market opportunities. For companies exploring the scheme for the first time, questions focused on the application process and how ETL accreditation can support specification and procurement opportunities.
This led to discussions of the Government Buying Standards (GBS), where the ETL is referenced for electrical products, mandatory for central government departments and recommended across the wider public sector. Manufacturers were also interested to learn how ETL criteria serve as a benchmark for various sustainability assessment and certification schemes, such as SKArating, and how ETL-listed products are integrated with the National Building Specification (NBS) platform, increasing their visibility among specifiers, architects and designers.
What these conversations tell us
InstallerSHOW 2026 provided a valuable forum to exchange ideas, gather feedback and better understand the priorities emerging across the industry. For the ETL team, speaking with exhibitors offered insight into the needs of manufacturers and purchasers alike.
"It was particularly encouraging to see how many companies now have dedicated sustainability, carbon and environmental specialists on their stands. It shows that conversations around energy efficiency and decarbonisation are becoming much more prominent. At the same time, environmental performance still needs to be clearly linked to business value if it's going to influence purchasing decisions.”
Jose Luis Hernandez Galvan, Scheme Delivery Administrator at the ETL
Members of the ETL team at InstallerSHOW 2026.
These conversations showed that energy efficiency is becoming a more strategic purchasing consideration. Manufacturers are responding to customers who want evidence of a product’s performance, lower operating costs and reassurance that technologies meet recognised standards. This reinforces the role of the ETL in providing independent, government-backed recognition that helps manufacturers substantiate their claims and gives purchasers greater confidence when comparing technologies.
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