Over 80% of British Households Delighted with Heat Pumps, New Survey Finds.

More than 80% of households who replaced their gas boilers with electric heat pumps reported being happy with their new heating systems. This survey, conducted by Nesta, an innovation charity, also revealed that heat pump users were just as satisfied as those with gas boilers. Conducted last winter & thought to be the largest investigation into how households have responded to heat pumps to date.

Surprisingly, satisfaction levels remained consistently high regardless of whether the heat pumps were installed in new-build homes or older properties.

This challenges the common belief that heat pumps are only effective in modern buildings.

The survey, which examined over 2,500 domestic heat pump owners and 1,000 domestic gas boiler owners across England, Scotland, and Wales during the last winter, is the largest investigation of its kind to date.

Madeleine Gabriel, the director of a sustainable future at Nesta, emphasised that these results should dispel any "outdated" concerns about the effectiveness of low carbon heating technology. Gabriel called on the government to intensify its efforts to phase out fossil fuel heating in response to the survey's findings.

The government's plan to install 600,000 heat pumps annually across the UK as part of carbon emission reduction efforts has faced challenges due to doubts about heat pump effectiveness. To encourage households to switch from gas boilers to heat pumps, the government introduced vouchers worth £5,000, but the uptake has been slow.

However, the survey by Eunomia Research and Consulting revealed that 81% of households were equally or more satisfied with heat pumps compared to their previous heating systems, including gas boilers, electric heating, and oil and LPG boilers.

The survey also highlighted that while many households opted for building upgrades alongside heat pump installations, such as loft insulation, wall insulation, or extra window glazing, it was not a universal practice. Only 14% of respondents chose to undertake multiple measures in conjunction with their heat pump installations.

Clem Cowton, the director of external affairs at energy supplier Octopus Energy, expressed that the survey's findings align with the significant demand they are witnessing for heat pumps. Octopus Energy currently has a waiting list of approximately 50,000 households interested in having a heat pump installed. To meet this demand, the company is training numerous installers in the UK and has made investments in a heat pump manufacturer to produce about 1,000 pumps each month.

Cowton urged the government to proceed swiftly with its proposal to remove burdensome levies from household electricity bills and streamline outdated planning regulations. These steps would make the transition to cleaner, safer, and more efficient heating with heat pumps easier and more affordable for everyone.

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