Innovation agency Nesta and charity The MCS Foundation have launched a consumer guidance website, GetAHeatPump.org.uk, which went live on Wednesday 2 October1. The platform is described as providing consumer-friendly, impartial and non-commercial guidance on heat pumps, and is supported by Which UK? and the Energy Saving Trust1.
Nesta said the two organisations "have come together to launch a newly-developed platform"1. The site was tested and developed with consumers and is intended to cover the process end to end, from deciding whether a heat pump suits a property to finding someone to install it1. Its stated features include a quiz to help people find the right heat pump for their home, information on installation costs, resources on finding an installer, case studies from heat pump owners, and renovation tips on preparing a home for a heat pump1.
"Innovation agency Nesta and charity The MCS Foundation have come together to launch a newly-developed platform"
The announcement sets the launch against low uptake. Fewer than 1% of UK households use heat pumps to heat their homes, and only 250,000 UK households have them, according to Nesta1. It adds that most people in the UK have never seen a heat pump, and that moving from gas boilers to low-carbon heating will be essential for the UK to reach its net zero goals1.
Nesta cites its own earlier research on owner satisfaction among people who have had a heat pump installed in their current home1:
| Measure | Share of heat pump owners |
|---|---|
| As satisfied or more satisfied than with their previous heating system | 81% |
| As satisfied or more satisfied, Victorian or older properties | 83% |
The satisfaction figures come from a Nesta user survey of heat pump owners; the launch announcement does not give the sample size or fieldwork dates for that research1. No installation cost figures, grant amounts or installer numbers are given in the announcement, and no date has been reported for further updates to the site1.
Why it matters for households
For a household weighing up a heat pump, the practical obstacle is often information rather than hardware: what a system costs, whether an older property needs work first, and who can install it competently. The new site is aimed at that gap, gathering cost information, installer-finding resources and renovation tips in one place1. The satisfaction figures matter because they speak to how the technology performs in real homes, including older housing stock: 83% of owners in Victorian or older properties reported being as satisfied or more satisfied than with their previous heating system1. For energy independence, a heat pump shifts a home's heating away from gas and towards electricity, which can be generated domestically; the announcement frames the transition from gas boilers as essential to net zero but does not quantify any household-level effect on bills or energy security1. The site is one of several routes into the subject; our heat pumps hub covers the technology and our getting-started hub covers the first steps, including which energy improvements can be done yourself.
What happens next
The site is live from 2 October1. No further launch dates, funding rounds or expansion plans have been reported1.