Heat Pump Survey Highlights Promising Future for Electric Heating

by Hannah Wintle

Heat pump users across England, Scotland, and Wales, are ‘highly satisfied’ with their heat pumps, according to a recent report by Nesta. While the UK sets its focus on decarbonising the housing sector, what does this survey mean for the wider uptake of alternative heating systems?

To date, fewer than one percent of homes in the UK have heat pumps, despite the government’s target of 600,000 installations every year by 2028.

In their report, ‘Heat pumps: a user survey’, Nesta postulates that in order to increase heat pump uptake, the public’s familiarity and confidence with the technology needs to improve.

Currently, this is the largest survey of domestic heat pump owners in Britain with over 2500 users, as well as an additional 1000 domestic gas boiler owners.

It found that 75% of heat pump owners are as or more satisfied with their heat pump compared to their previous heating system. This figure rises to 81% among people who had their heat pump installed whilst living in their current property.

The survey also revealed that those living in older homes were as likely to be satisfied with their heat pump as those living in newer ones. 83% of residents in Victorian homes, for example, were as or more satisfied with their heat pump, suggesting that these heating systems are likely to be effective across a range of property types and ages.

Now, it is hoped that the result of the survey will influence the wider uptake of heat pumps.

Katy King, Deputy Director of Sustainable Future at Nesta, said: “We hope that these findings will encourage more people to look into replacing their heating system with the heat pump if it's right for them.

“We know the government estimates that 90% of UK homes are technically capable of being heated with a heat pump and they're also widely rolled out in other countries. In Norway, 60% of homes are heated with a heat pump.”

“The research suggests that all homes and people can be satisfied with that heat pump, and we've already heard that a lot of people have got in touch with us to say the research has prompted them to look at getting a heat pump.”

There are still obstacles to overcome

Compared to gas boiler users, heat pump users were less satisfied when it came to ease of use and control, with 74% reporting they were ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ satisfied compared to gas boiler users at 88% similarly satisfied.

The report linked this to another finding which illustrated that 22% of heat pump users feel ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ confident in controlling their heating, compared to just 6% of gas boiler users similarly unconfident.

The least satisfied group of heat pump users at 52% satisfied were those who had inherited their heat pump by moving into a property in which the previous owners had installed the technology.

Katy addressed this, adding: “While the majority of those moving into a newbuild or an existing property with the heat pump said they were as satisfied or more satisfied with a heat pump than their previous system, the survey did suggest that, what we call heat pump inheritors, those who move into a home with a heat pump where it's already been installed, would benefit from more information about how to use the system.”

Now, Nesta are calling upon the government and industry to implement ways to make impartial information accessible to consumers.

Additionally, it was highlighted that the majority of heat pump installations at present are planned, while the vast majority of gas boiler installations are done when the system breaks down.

Katy addressed this, adding: “Something else that we're calling on an industry and government to do is to innovate, to reduce the time of disruption that it takes to get a heat pump so that people could get a heat pump as a distress purchase.”

Are heat pumps the key to decarbonising the UK housing stock?

Using fossil fuels for home heating is responsible for 15% of all UK total emissions, meaning that transitioning away from gas towards electric heating is essential in reaching net zero.

The Climate Change Committee have previously suggested in their Balanced Pathway that in seven years time, heat pump sales should reach over one million per year.

Heat pumps are the leading technology in electric heating, and their endorsement by the government emphasises the importance of adopting this technology in the strive for decarbonisation.

Individual households need to take ownership of their carbon footprint

Nesta’s survey found that some of the most satisfied heat pump users were those that had chosen to install them. In contrast, some of the least satisfied users had inherited them by moving into a house where heat pumps were already installed. The role of agency, therefore, certainly has an impact on satisfaction.

The report also acknowledged that those who inherit heat pumps may have lower levels of awareness around the technology if they had not chosen to install it themselves. Furthermore, 44% of those who inherited a heat pump received no advice on how to use it when moving in, and 62% couldn’t easily source information on how to use a heat pump effectively.

Education, therefore, plays a role in people’s willingness to embrace their role in decarbonising their homes. Katy said: “I do think there is a role for government to educate people about net zero and what they can do.

“Industry can also play a part. It would be great if every touchpoint people are made aware of the green choices they can make and what they can do."

Cymru

Mercure Holland House Hotel, Cardiff

11 July 2023