The Heat Pump Association (HPA), the industry body for heat pump manufacturers and installers, released a report titled "Unlocking Widescale Heat Pump Deployment in the UK" on 29 November 20231. The report sets out what the association describes as a comprehensive roadmap and a collection of policy recommendations for accelerating heat pump adoption across the United Kingdom1.
The association frames the report around the government's legally binding net-zero emissions target by 2050, arguing that heat pumps are the cornerstone of the transition in the heating sector1. Craig Dolan, Chair of the HPA, said heat pumps can be more than three times more efficient than fossil fuel boilers, and that switching to heat pumps in the UK can reduce heating emissions by up to 75%, a figure the report describes as equivalent to all the territorial emissions of Denmark in 20211. The efficiency claim is attributed to the Energy Systems Catapult's Electrification of Heat demonstration project, and the emissions comparison to emissions data published by Ritchie and Roser1.
The report contains two main elements, according to the association: an analysis of the current state of the UK heat pump industry, covering existing barriers, opportunities and the economic benefits of mass adoption, and a set of policy recommendations intended to create conditions for widespread deployment1. The HPA says the recommendations are backed by research and the expertise of its membership1.
"Further policy support and political commitment are essential to support the sector in working towards the Government ambition to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. We urge policymakers, current and future, to take heed of these recommendations."
Mark Wilkins, Vice-Chair of the HPA, said the recommendations, if implemented, would give investors, manufacturers, installers and consumers confidence in the sector1. The full report and an executive summary with the key policy recommendations are available from the association's website1. The specific recommendations themselves are not set out in the announcement text.
Why it matters for households
The report is a statement of the industry's position rather than a change in the rules, so it does not alter what a household can install, claim or be paid today. Its relevance lies in the direction of travel it argues for. The HPA's central claim, that a heat pump can be more than three times more efficient than a fossil fuel boiler, is the basis on which the sector argues that electrified heating cuts both emissions and running costs1. The 600,000 installations a year by 2028 figure is the government ambition the association says policy must support, and it is the benchmark against which any future support scheme, grant or regulatory change is likely to be judged1. For a household weighing up a heat pump against a replacement boiler, the practical questions remain the same: what grant support is available, what the installation involves, and how the running costs compare. The report does not answer those questions directly; it argues that policy should make the answers more favourable. The wider framework of targets and rules is covered in UK heat pump policy, targets and the rules coming.
What happens next
The report has been published and is available for download, along with an executive summary of its key policy recommendations1. The association says it will urge policymakers, current and future, to take heed of the recommendations1. No government response, consultation or implementation timetable is reported in the announcement, and no date has been given for any policy decision arising from the report.