More than 80% of households that have replaced their gas boilers with an electric heat pump are satisfied with their new heating system, according to the first significant survey of heat pump users.
The survey commissioned by the innovation charity Nesta found that those who use heat pumps to warm their homes reported broadly similar levels of satisfaction to those with gas boilers.
Satisfaction levels were also similar among respondents who installed a heat pump in a new-build home or older properties, at more than 80%, despite persistent concerns that heat pumps are only effective in modern buildings.
The survey of over 2,500 domestic heat pump owners and more than 1,000 domestic gas boiler owners in England, Scotland and Wales over the last winter is the most extensive investigation into how households have responded to heat pumps.
The Growing Popularity of Heat Pumps in Great Britain
Madeleine Gabriel, the director of a sustainable future at Nesta, said results should put to rest “outdated” concerns about the low-carbon heating technology and prompt the government to “redouble its efforts” to phase out fossil fuel heating.
Concerns over the effectiveness of heat pumps have threatened to derail the government’s plan for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed across the UK every year to help cut carbon emissions.
Households have slowly taken up government vouchers worth £5,000 to help replace a gas boiler with a new heat pump. Slightly more than a third of the scheme’s grants were in the last financial year.
However, Eunomia’s survey found that 81% of households were as satisfied or more satisfied with heat pumps than previous heating systems, including gas boilers, electric heating, or oil and LPG boilers.
Satisfaction levels were similar for households living in Victorian or older properties, at 83%. This contradicts concerns that heat pumps are only effective in modern buildings or have undergone extensive energy efficiency upgrades.
Gabriel said:”The rollout of heat pumps across all property types in Britain is proving that the age of your house doesn’t have to be a large factor when deciding whether to get a greener heating system.”
On running costs, another critical concern for households considering a heat pump, the survey found that two-thirds of heat pump owners and 59% of gas boiler owners were satisfied even without extensive energy efficiency upgrades.
The survey found that upgrading building fabric alongside heat pump installations was common “but not universal”. About 36% of heat pump users carried out loft insulation before the structure, and 23% installed wall insulation or extra window glazing. Only 14% chose to undertake multiple measures.
Enhanced Heating and Cooling Performance
Clem Cowton, the director of external affairs at the energy supplier Octopus Energy, said the survey’s findings were reflected in “the astronomical demand Octopus is seeing for our heat pumps”.
The company says it has a waiting record of about 50,000 households interested in installing a pump. To meet this demand, Octopus trains hundreds of installers at UK bases. The company has also invested in a Northern Ireland-based heat pump manufacturer, Renewable Energy Devices, to produce about 1,000 pumps monthly.
“The government should now have the confidence to move forward quickly with its proposal to remove punitive levies from household electricity bills and streamline out-of-date planning rules to make it easier and cheaper for everyone to make the switch to cleaner, safer and more efficient heating with a heat pump,” Cowton said.
A recent survey commissioned by innovation charity Nesta has found that over 80% of households that have replaced their gas boilers with electric heat pumps are satisfied with their new heating system.
Future Plans to Expand Heat Pump Usage
The survey considered the most extensive investigation into how families have responded to heat pumps, including over 2,500 domestic heat pump owners and over 1,000 domestic gas boiler owners in England, Scotland, and Wales. The results showed that satisfaction levels were similar among respondents who installed a heat pump in a new-build home or older properties, despite persistent concerns that heat pumps are only effective in modern buildings.
The director of a sustainable future at Nesta, Madeleine Gabriel, said that the results should put to rest “outdated” concerns about the low-carbon heating technology and prompt the government to “redouble its efforts” to phase out fossil fuel heating. Concerns over the effectiveness of heat pumps have threatened to derail the government’s plan for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed across the UK every year to help cut carbon emissions. However, the survey found that 81% of households were as satisfied or more satisfied with heat pumps than previous heating systems, including gas boilers, electric heating, or oil and LPG boilers.
