Which? ran a second communications campaign in March 2026 as part of a project on how homeowners can be prompted to plan energy upgrades, the consumer body has reported. The campaign followed a first campaign that ran from late September to mid October in 2025, and it linked through to Which?'s Home Energy Planning Service, which guides consumers through their choices and offers advice tailored to a property1.
The project examined "trigger points", the moments when homeowners are more likely to consider changes to their heating. Which? lists replacing an old boiler, moving home, undertaking large home improvement projects, financial and life milestones, and seasonal shifts, noting that early Spring is traditionally when many homeowners start planning wider renovations1. Its research found that homeowners who did not plan ahead were about twice as likely to face an emergency replacement, at 39%, compared with 19% of those who had planned1.
Which? tested messages for engaging homeowners with older boilers and reported that the optimal set of three messages could deliver 87% engagement, with 88% of homeowners finding at least one of the three appealing. The staged figures it gives are a base reach of 71%, rising to 85%, then to 88%, on a base size of 1,1901. The first survey covered 2,787 UK homeowners with boilers over eight years old in June 2025; a second surveyed 1,077 homeowners who had replaced or upgraded their heating system since June 20231.
"We ran a second campaign in March 2026."
Which? also reports that the government's Warm Homes Plan revised down heat pump purchase targets from 600,000 installations a year by 2028 to 450,000 installations by 2030, and that the average cost of installing an air to water heat pump is £13,0001. It says up to 60% of homeowners have their heating system serviced each year, and that Project Ambient, an NGO supporting the transition to net zero, proposed in 2024 using Gas Safe Registry data to identify properties with older boilers. From a sample of about 60,000 boilers, Project Ambient estimated that about 17% were more than 12 years old. Registration of new gas and oil boilers in the UK has been a legal requirement since 2005, with the register held by Gas Safe since 20091.
Why it matters for households
The campaign itself is a communications exercise, but the research behind it sets out the practical shape of a home's move away from gas. A boiler replacement is one of the few moments when a household is already prepared for disruption, contractors and equipment, which Which? says makes the hassle of insulation or a new heating system feel less daunting1. The figures it gives on emergency replacements suggest that households that plan ahead face a different set of choices from those that do not, and the £13,000 average cost of an air to water heat pump indicates the scale of the decision. Which? notes that electric heating will not be the best solution for every household, but that other improvements made at the point of replacing an old boiler may help a system run more efficiently or prepare for changes later1. For a home weighing energy independence, the timing of the decision matters as much as the technology, and the report points to community energy schemes and local supply arrangements as part of the wider set of options a household may consider.
What happens next
Which? makes recommendations rather than announcing further campaigns. It says governments and businesses should develop strategies for using trigger points, including using data to identify when homeowners may be at a trigger point, creating partnerships with businesses that engage consumers at those times, and providing access to information and advice tailored to the property and the householder's needs1. No further Which? campaign date is given beyond the March 2026 campaign.