Which? published its annual sustainability tracker on 7 November 2024 and called on the government to do more to tackle the cost and other barriers discouraging households from switching to heat pumps and electric vehicles. The consumer organisation said the Warm Homes Plan must include measures to help with the high upfront cost of a heat pump, that a date should be set for mandatory certification of installers, and that public charging infrastructure needs to work better for drivers1.
The tracker, a survey of 2,108 UK adults conducted by Yonder in June 2024, found that 71 per cent of homeowners who knew what heat pumps were said they were too expensive to install, a figure Which? said has remained static despite the government increasing the grant available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in 20231. The median price for installing an air source heat pump is just under £13,000, according to data collected from installers under the scheme, and the grant lowers the overall cost by £7,500. Which? puts the average cost of installing a standard combi boiler at £2,597, based on all models on its website1.
Ownership and awareness remain low. Two per cent of homeowners own a heat pump and 55 per cent are aware of what they are; of those aware, 54 per cent said they would not consider installing one1. Installations are rising from that low base: more than 30,000 heat pumps were fitted in homes and small businesses across the UK between January and July 2024, a 45 per cent increase on the same period in 2023, according to MCS1. Among homeowners without a heat pump, 18 to 34 year olds were three times as likely as the over 55s to definitely consider installing one, at 15 per cent against five per cent1.
On vehicles, EV ownership rose from three per cent in June 2022 to six per cent in June 2024, but the share of drivers unwilling to buy one almost doubled, from 20 per cent to 39 per cent1. Around two-thirds of non-EV drivers, 64 per cent, cited high prices. Which? pricing data puts the average new EV at £47,251.19 in October 2024, almost £10,000 more than a non-electric equivalent at £37,611.32, though it noted new and second hand EV prices are falling, with some second hand models reaching parity with petrol and diesel equivalents1. Half of consumers, 54 per cent, were concerned about single-charge range and 52 per cent about public charge point availability1.
"As well as cost, these include low awareness and insufficient information about heat pumps and a lack of availability and reliability of EV charging stations. The Warm Homes Plan could be a game-changer if it helps people with the high up-front costs of heat pumps and the government should also set a date for the mandatory accreditation of heat pump installers."
Why it matters for households
For a household weighing up a heat pump, the gap between the two figures above is the practical question: a median air source installation of just under £13,000, reduced by £7,500 with the grant, against £2,597 for a combi boiler1. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant is the main route to closing that gap, and the policy and targets that govern it determine how much support is available and for how long. Which? also points to low awareness and thin information as barriers in their own right, which matters for anyone trying to judge whether their property is suitable and what the work involves; the site's guidance on which homes suit a heat pump and on installer certification covers those two points. Its call for a date for mandatory installer certification goes to the same concern, since the quality of the installation, not only its price, determines how a system performs in a home.
For drivers, the barriers are upfront price and confidence in charging rather than the technology itself. Which? found the average new EV at almost £10,000 more than a non-electric equivalent, while noting second hand prices are falling towards parity1. Range and charge point availability concerned around half of consumers1. The organisation's recommendations on overnight tariffs and charge point reliability are aimed at the running cost and convenience side of that decision, which is where a home's energy arrangements and its transport costs meet.
What happens next
Which? said the two reports behind the tracker would be published on its website at 00:01 on Thursday 7 November 20241. It has called on the government to include support for high upfront heat pump costs in the Warm Homes Plan, through new financial products and direct support for low income families, and to set a date for mandatory certification of installers1. It has also called on the UK and devolved governments to give clear and consistent support for the EV transition, to monitor the consumer experience of public charge points on reliability and payment, to support charge point rollout and disabled driver access, and to promote tariffs that make overnight charging cheaper1. The government allocated £3.4 billion to the Warm Homes Plan in the recent budget, including £1.8 billion for fuel poverty schemes, and described this as an "initial" commitment1. No date has been reported for the publication of the Warm Homes Plan itself, or for any decision on mandatory installer certification.