Nesta's Visit a Heat Pump service, which connects people considering a heat pump with households that already have one, reported 1,030 bookings and 1,672 booked places as of 7 April 2025, almost a year after it launched nationwide on 11 April 20241. The figures come from Nesta's own one-year review, published on 23 May 20251.
Bookings have risen sharply. Nesta said the 1,030 bookings recorded by 7 April 2025 were "a significant uptick from six months ago, when 412 bookings had been made"1. Because many people book in groups of two or more, often with spouses and family, the platform recorded 1,672 places booked in total1.
Host numbers have grown on a similar path. By 7 April 2025, 912 people had registered to host visits, against 425 hosts at the time of Nesta's November report1. Nesta described the spread of hosts as running "from Inverness to the Isle of Wight, and Neyland to Norwich"1. On the installer side, 47 installers had registered accounts on the platform, and hosts had manually entered an additional 207 installers on their profiles1.
Nesta reported that visits change attitudes, knowledge and confidence, with significant improvements on all measures it tracked1. Of 352 post-visit survey respondents, all but one agreed that visiting a heat pump was a worthwhile experience, and more than 90 per cent rated their likelihood of recommending the service at 8, 9 or 10 out of 101. More than 70 per cent said they had already talked about their visit to at least two other people who had not visited1. One measure moved less: agreement with the statement "My next heating system will use a heat pump as the main heat source" showed only a small and statistically non-significant improvement1. Nesta said a visit appears to polarise opinions, helping people reach an informed decision more quickly1.
"The service launched nationwide on 11 April 2024."
Why it matters for households
For a household weighing up a heat pump, the practical question is often what an installed system looks and sounds like in a home similar to theirs, and what living with one involves. The platform's model is peer-to-peer: existing owners answer questions from their own experience rather than through a sales visit1. Nesta reported that hosts hear about the service through their installers or through publicity on BBC Breakfast on 6 March and in The Economist1. The reported effect on firm purchase intentions was limited, which suggests visits inform decisions in both directions rather than reliably converting interest into an order1.
What happens next
Nesta said it is committed to maintaining and developing Visit a Heat Pump, and that the platform has been nominated for the Energy Awards in the Low-Carbon Initiative category1. No date for that award outcome is given in the review1.