Which? published its 2025 Sustainability Tracker findings on 22 October 2025, showing that heat pump ownership among homeowners has barely moved in three years, and used the release to urge the government to remove the barriers blocking consumers from getting a heat pump1.
The consumer organisation reported that ownership among homeowners stood at two per cent in both 2023 and 2024, rising to three per cent in June 20251. It said this should not be read as a lack of interest: awareness and understanding of what heat pumps are rose from 56 per cent to 64 per cent over the last year, and the share of homeowners open to installing one climbed from 26 per cent to 33 per cent1. The tracker is a yearly omnibus survey with a nationally representative sample of around 2,000 UK adults per wave; the 2025 report focuses on the 1,392 homeowners who completed it in June 20251.
Cost concerns dominated the findings. Two thirds of homeowners surveyed who knew about heat pumps but did not own one, 67 per cent, said installation costs would stop them going ahead, while 29 per cent questioned whether a heat pump would reduce their energy bills1. Four in five homeowners, 79 per cent, reported being worried about energy prices in August 20251. Among those considering a heat pump, 31 per cent said lower energy bills would be the most likely factor to encourage them to install one1.
Which? called for the government's forthcoming Warm Homes Plan to combine grant funding with financial products that make costs more affordable, and for homeowners to have access to good quality independent information and advice1. It also called for MCS certification to be made mandatory for all heat pump, solar and battery installers, noting that MCS certified installers must meet technical standards and abide by a consumer code covering marketing, communication and the resolution of complaints and disputes1.
"Our findings show that homeowners are increasingly open to choosing a heat pump, but they're being held back by high upfront costs, uncertainty about running costs and a lack of confidence in technology that is still unfamiliar for many."
Why it matters for households
The figures describe a gap between intent and installation. A third of homeowners say they would consider a heat pump, but only three per cent have one, and the stated obstacles are money and confidence rather than unwillingness1. For a household weighing up heat pumps, the upfront cost question sits alongside uncertainty about running costs, and Which? links that uncertainty to wider worry about energy prices1. The installer question matters too: mandatory MCS certification would extend the consumer code that already applies to certified installers across heat pump, solar and battery work, which bears on how disputes and complaints are handled1. The policy backdrop, including the government's expected Warm Homes Plan and the Climate Change Committee's position that half of UK homes must switch to a low-carbon heat pump by 2040, is set out in the site's guide to UK heat pump policy and targets. How electrified heating relates to a home's own energy position is covered in heat pumps and household energy independence.
What happens next
Which? said the government is expected to launch its Warm Homes Plan in the coming weeks, setting out its strategy to encourage more than 90 per cent of UK homeowners who heat their homes with gas and oil boilers to switch to electric heating such as a heat pump1. The government hopes this will improve energy security, reduce energy bills and cut carbon emissions1. No date for the launch has been reported1.