As the Queen’s Speech pledges an Energy Security Bill to deliver the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy, our Head of Research, Ed Houghton reveals the findings from our latest DG Cities Research Community Survey into heat pumps. Is the government grant enough to drive take-up?

Today, the Queen’s Speech outlined an Energy Security Bill, which would pave the way for new, low-carbon technologies and grow the consumer market for electric heat pumps. Home energy has never been more at the forefront of the public's collective consciousness. Rising energy prices have propelled the vital, but often overlooked, agenda of reducing home energy consumption from a ‘nice to do’ to a necessity. In the short term, people across the UK are having to cut their energy consumption, improve their home insulation, and shift from well-established heating habits to more planned and considered behaviour. This is no easy task. But the issue of home heating was on the agenda well before this current crisis.

Home heating accounts for 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions. The government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy committed to greening home heating by setting targets to shift the public from largely gas-boiler based heating systems to heat pumps, an existing but underutilised technology with lower carbon emissions. Its aim is to install 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028, and by 2035 gas boilers will be removed from the market. This marks a monumental shift in consumer purchasing and home heating behaviour.

At DG Cities, we recognise the importance of creating sustainable and liveable communities, and we believe in the potential of new technologies to do this. Heat pumps present significant potential, and as the above highlights, have received major backing from the government. But we know that if heat pumps are to become a real solution, the public must readily adopt them and be able to use them effectively. That is why we’ve looked into public opinion on heat pumps, and have investigated what needs to be done to improve the chances of a successful home heating transition.

This spring, we surveyed 500 members of the public on attitudes to heat pumps. We investigated their views on the technology, how confident and knowledgeable they feel, and their intentions to use them. The findings highlight that a significant challenge lies ahead for those looking to shift the public to heat pumps.

Awareness is moderate, but knowledge is low

The public is largely in the dark about how heat pumps work, and their potential value: 82% had heard of heat pumps, but almost half (46%) only ‘knew a little’ about them. Almost 1 in 5 (15%) had heard of them but don’t know what they are.

Knowledge is key to driving purchasing behaviour, and for some, a lack of knowledge of whether a heat pump will be appropriate for their home is a major barrier. This was highlighted in our survey by a respondent who noted the challenge of installing heat pumps in different types of homes. Advice and guidance will need to be tailored to meet the needs of all consumers: “…the advice available (should be) bespoke to the type of home people live in… not generic. Some model homes in each neighbourhood would be good.”

Cost is key: and even with a government grant, it is too high for consumers

Although knowledge and awareness is low, data highlights that the biggest barrier to uptake is the perceived high cost of purchase and installation of new heating systems. At £12,000 to £15,000, the average cost of purchase and installation is considered to be too high by over half (53%) of respondents. And although the government is now offering the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme which provides up to £6000, less than half (46%) of respondents knew about the grant and the majority (60%) would not use it.

One respondent highlighted a reason why: the costs of changes that would need to be made to their home are prohibitively high: “It's not just about the cost of the pump & installation. It would require major replumbing and redecoration. Cost for my house would be £30k in all - and lead to less effective heating. I would never recoup the outlay even if I had the money available, even over a 20-year period.”

Will heat pumps hit the mainstream?

Heat pumps are simply not yet the home heating solution of choice for consumers. Whilst home heating purchases are very infrequent, policy-makers must aim to make sure that when consumers look to change their heating, heat pumps are seen as a viable alternative. Unfortunately our data highlights that this may be someway off. And despite the current cost of living crisis, 56% do not see rising gas costs as reasons to switch to a renewable home energy source. And should gas prices continue to rise 46% would still not opt for a heat pump.

We think there are several ways to improve consumer uptake which we hope will feature in this parliament’s Energy Security Bill:

• We think industry and policy makers need to improve the evidence base of public knowledge and attitudes towards heat pumps and other home heating tech so that robust solutions that overcome knowledge and behaviour barriers can be developed.

• Policy-makers should explore how to improve the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, as cost is a major barrier. This should be complemented by other policy interventions that focus on non-financial barriers. 

• It's clear that the current energy crisis isn’t enough to push the public towards net-zero lifestyles. We therefore think policy makers, researchers and industry should build a greater understanding of public willingness and capability to achieve net-zero. 

• And finally, low knowledge is prohibiting engagement with heat pump solutions, partly because consumers don’t have access to good quality information. We must therefore develop and communicate a single, trustworthy and usable source of information to help consumers make informed choices.

We think by doing this we can help to make it more likely that consumers see the potential in heat pumps, and install them in their homes. 

To find out more, check out our new report Heat Pumps: the future of home heating, or all hot air?