The Electrification of Heat demonstration project published its latest findings on 23 December 2022, setting out the installation challenges and consumer barriers to scaling up heat pump adoption across Britain1. The project is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and delivered with Energy Systems Catapult, whose chief executive Guy Newey wrote the accompanying commentary1.
The project installed 742 heat pumps, from hybrid to air source, in homes across the South East of Scotland, Newcastle and the South East of England, and drew interest from more than 8,000 applicants1. Among those applicants, 78 per cent cited sustainability and low carbon heating, and 63 per cent cited interest in new technology, as their main reasons for wanting to move to a heat pump1. Of the participants who decided not to proceed, 47 per cent named disruption as the main reason for declining1. The average cost per property for a heat pump installation was £14,800, a figure that included additional measures such as hot water tanks and radiator upgrades, and labour costs1.
The project's earlier data-led report, released at the end of 2021, found that there is no property type or architectural era unsuitable for a heat pump1. The commentary states that 78 per cent of people currently heat their home with a natural gas boiler, and that most households in Britain buy a new heating system only every 10 to 15 years, when their boiler dies1. It adds that in 2019 only 27,000 heat pumps were installed across the UK, accounting for less than 2 per cent of the UK heating market1.
"The Electrification of Heat demonstration project has just released the latest insights into the installation challenges and crucially the consumer barriers to scaling-up heat pump adoption across Britain"
The commentary also describes technology used alongside the heat pumps, including heat battery technology from the Scottish innovator Sunamp, which stores energy using a phase change material and was used in properties such as flats where there was no space for hot water cylinders1. It notes that Octopus Energy has been testing how heat pumps can be integrated with smart tariffs such as Agile Octopus, and that retailers including OVO Energy and E.ON have been installing heat pumps in the project, in homes ranging from Victorian mid-terraces to pre-WWII semis and a 1960s block of flats1.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Heat pumps installed in the project | 742 |
| Applicants expressing interest | Over 8,000 |
| Applicants citing sustainability and low carbon heating | 78% |
| Applicants citing interest in new technology | 63% |
| Participants declining who cited disruption | 47% |
| Average installation cost per property | £14,800 |
Why it matters for households
The figures set out the two obstacles a household is most likely to meet when replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump: the upfront cost of the work and the disruption of having it done. The £14,800 average covers more than the heat pump itself, including hot water tanks, radiator upgrades and labour, so the total for a given home depends on what else has to change1. The finding that no property type or architectural era is unsuitable for a heat pump bears on the common assumption that only newer homes can take one1. The 10 to 15 year replacement cycle means most households face only a small number of chances to switch before 2050, and the decision tends to arrive when an existing boiler fails1. For a home's energy independence, the shift moves heating demand from gas onto electricity, which changes what the property draws from the grid and how running costs respond to tariffs; the commentary notes that running costs, not only purchase cost, shape whether a low carbon system compares well with the alternatives1. Details of how the project was run and what it measured are set out in the Electrification of Heat demonstration project pages, and cost figures for installations are covered in how much a heat pump costs in the UK.
What happens next
The commentary states that the government's target is 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028, and that the Scottish Government is targeting a peak of 250,000 renewable heat installations in the 2030s1. It names the Heat Pump Ready Programme, the next BEIS-funded programme, as supporting the development and demonstration of heat pump technologies and tools, and solutions for optimised deployment1. No dates for further Electrification of Heat reports have been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- Low carbon heating is just getting started - Energy Systems Catapult, es.catapult.org.uk