Which? has responded to the government's increase in heat pump grants and the launch of a "Welcome Home Energy Efficiency" campaign, in a statement published on 24 October 20231. The consumer body said the measures addressed barriers it had identified in its own research1.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said the organisation had previously called for a public engagement campaign on the support available for heat pumps and insulation1.
"Which? research has found that a lack of awareness of energy efficiency home heating improvements and the high cost of heat pumps is currently holding consumers back from leading more sustainable lives."
"We have previously called for a public engagement campaign to raise awareness of the heat pump and insulation support available, so it's good to see the government increasing heat pump grants and launching a 'Welcome Home Energy Efficiency' campaign."
The Heat Pump Association, in a report published in November 2023, said it "welcomes the grant increase for ASHPs and GSHPs to £7,500 from 23rd October 2023" and noted the campaign was "Launched on the 23rd October 2023 to coincide with the uplift in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant"2. The association said the government has set an ambition to install 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028, against an expected market size of around 60,000 unit sales, or 10 per cent of that target, and that "A 10-fold acceleration in deployment is needed in the next five years"2.
The association also set out running cost figures, stating that a heat pump can be £95 lower to run than a gas boiler operating at 84 per cent efficiency, and £264 lower with a ground source heat pump assuming a seasonal performance factor of 3.342. It said 18 per cent of a typical electricity bill pays for Environmental and Social Obligations, against 5 per cent for a typical gas bill2. It added that heat pumps can be more than three times more efficient than fossil fuel boilers and that switching can reduce heating emissions by up to 75 per cent2.
The association said the heating sector contributes almost a third of UK carbon emissions, that over three quarters of domestic heating emissions come from natural gas, and that 87 per cent of households are on the national gas grid2. It said over 30 million homes and businesses will need to decarbonise in just over 25 years, and that a minimum of 50,200 full-time equivalent installers will be required by 20302.
Why it matters for households
For a household weighing up a heat pump, the grant uplift changes the upfront arithmetic, while the campaign is intended to raise awareness of what support exists. Which? identifies cost and awareness as the two factors holding consumers back1, and the Heat Pump Association's figures suggest running costs depend heavily on how the system is specified and on the gap between electricity and gas prices2. That gap is shaped by levies: the association puts Environmental and Social Obligations at 18 per cent of a typical electricity bill against 5 per cent for gas2. Households on the gas grid, 87 per cent of the total according to the association2, face the choice of staying on gas or moving to a system whose running cost depends on efficiency and tariff. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is the mechanism carrying the £7,500 grant2, and eligibility rules, including any EPC insulation requirement, determine who can use it. For homes off the gas grid, the association notes a delay to the ban on installing new fossil fuel boilers in such properties, from 2026 to 20352.
What happens next
The grant increase and the campaign both took effect on 23 October 20232. The Heat Pump Association's report sets out recommendations across upfront cost, running cost, the installer workforce, consumer and installer confidence, heat networks, market drivers and innovation2. No further dated government steps have been reported.