New research reveals more than half of heating installers are too busy to take the break they want at least three days a week.
After research reveals Britain’s heating installers are too busy for a proper break, Ideal Heating launches MAX break, rewarding Logic MAX and Vogue MAX boiler registrations with a free Greggs Sausage Roll or Regular Hot Drink
What installers told Ideal – at a glance
- 56.1% are too busy to take the break they’d like at least three days a week
- 28.7% say they’re too busy to take the break they want every working day
- 55.6% either rarely take a proper break or don’t take their first until lunchtime or later
- 72.3% say their ideal break is just 15–30 minutes
- 56.2% say something good to eat makes a great workday break
- 45.2% choose coffee, compared with 33.1% who choose tea
- 29.4% would choose a bacon roll if someone else was buying breakfast
- 27.4% choose Greggs as somewhere they’re likely to buy food during their working day
Britain’s heating installers spend their working days keeping the nation warm, but new research suggests many are struggling to find time to stop and refuel themselves.
500 installers
A new survey of more than 500 installers by Ideal Heating found more than half (56.1%) are too busy to take the break they would like at least three days of the working week – with almost three in ten (28.7%) saying it happens every single day.
And they’re not asking for much. Nearly three quarters (72.3%) say their ideal workday break would last just 15–30 minutes, while more than half (55.6%) either rarely take a proper break at all or don’t take their first proper break until lunchtime or later.
Now Ideal Heating is giving installers an extra reason to take that well-earned break with the launch of MAX break – a new reward offering a free Greggs Sausage Roll or Regular Hot Drink when they register a Logic MAX or Vogue MAX boiler.
Register another Logic MAX or Vogue MAX the following week and there’s another weekly MAX break waiting, with installers able to claim again each week they register.
And what better way to launch MAX break than by finding out what installers really want when they finally get a chance to put the tools down?
More than half (56.2%) say something good to eat is part of a great workday break, while 44.3% want a good coffee and 42% would simply like ten minutes of peace and quiet. Another 41.5% say sitting down and taking the weight off makes for a great break.
Most popular drink
And forget the traditional builder’s tea. Coffee is the most popular workday drink among installers, chosen by 45.2%, compared with 33.1% who opt for tea. There’s a generational divide, too. More than half (52.8%) of installers aged 25–34 choose coffee, while half (50%) of those aged 65+ choose tea.
When somebody else is picking up the breakfast bill, 29.4% choose a bacon roll, compared with 19% opting for a breakfast baguette and 16.2% who would stick to a tea or coffee.
And the partnership fits naturally into installers’ existing routines, with more than one in four (27.4%) selecting Greggs as somewhere they’re likely to buy food during their working day.
The survey also shows just how far installer rewards can go. When asked about the most memorable things they had bought using Ideal Connect points, installers shared stories ranging from Christmas presents and new tech to family holidays, honeymoons, watches, golf clubs, a hot-air balloon ride and a South African safari honeymoon.
MAX break adds a new everyday reward to that mix, rewarding installers for choosing and registering Logic MAX or Vogue MAX, while Connect continues to give them the opportunity to save towards something bigger.
Ideal Heating. Say no to boring rewards.
* The Ideal Break survey was conducted by Ideal Heating between 27 August and 20 September 2026 and generated more than 500 responses from heating installers. Response numbers varied slightly by question, so percentages have been calculated using the number of respondents who answered each individual question. Some questions allowed respondents to select more than one answer.
