More than 80% of households that have replaced their gas boilers with an electric heat pump are satisfied with their new heating system, according to the first major survey of heat pump users.
The survey, commissioned by the innovation charity Nesta, found those who switched to heat pumps have a level of satisfaction similar to those with gas boilers.
Madeleine Gabriel, the director of a sustainable future at Nesta, said results should put to rest “outdated” concerns about the low-carbon heating technology and prompt the government to “redouble its efforts” to phase out fossil fuel heating.
Most striking within the results, over half of the participants (56%) hadn’t made energy-efficient upgrades to their properties.
A Bumpy Road
The rollout of heat pumps hasn’t been the easiest. A major source of concern was the ability to adequately heat a home to the level of comfort most consumers have become accustomed to compared to using traditional heating systems such as gas. This new report will no doubt allow a small victory to be celebrated but challenges still remain to convince the general public.
Britain sold the fewest heat pumps relative to population size in Europe last year, according to the European Heat Pump Association.
Only 3% of people plan to buy a heat pump in the next year, according to EcoExperts National Home Energy Survey, and just 51% of UK residents are even aware of heat pumps.
The main issue is Britain’s earliest central heating boilers, (installed between the 1960s and 1980s) typically run at very high temperatures. This has set up an expectation that a well-functioning heating system should be able to deliver strong blasts of heat on demand. Heat Pumps work in contrast by gently maintaining the ambient temperature of a room by using more efficient, lower-temperature top-ups throughout the day.
Controlling the Narrative
The latest figures on Heat Pump capability are positive but the overarching narrative needs to be changed and more focus needs to be given to increasing heat pump awareness and other forms of alternative heating for any true revolution to take place.
A widespread home insulation drive would help improve the energy efficiency of homes. Millions of households in the UK have an insulation age of 1976 or older and only 37% have ever updated their property’s insulation. Poorly insulated homes will continue to leak heat and make alternatives, like heat pumps not as effective as they should be.
Fischer’s free heating survey can inform you exactly what type of heating will be beneficial to your home. If homes aren’t efficiently insulated, upgrades like larger radiators and underfloor heating can offset some of the temperature fluctuations. Still, it might be the case that your home is just suited to a different type of heating.
Providing an adequate environment for the heat pump to thrive would be instrumental in pushing the adoption rate up and shifting the narrative of effectiveness in the right direction. Whilst the new report claims over half of the residents who made a purchase hadn’t made energy-efficient upgrades to their homes, it doesn’t specify how the home was insulated, to begin with, or what the standard of the property was.
One thing the consumer doesn’t suffer from is choice paralysis. Heat Pumps both air and ground sources are currently the only alternative heating options available with a government grant. 51% of respondents to the National Home Energy Survey said the cost of living crisis and rising energy bills meant they were less likely to purchase green products–largely because of the high upfront cost.
The positive news stories beginning to appear surrounding heat pumps should serve as a new jumping off point. There is however a fork in the road emerging. Continue down the current path, pushing the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in the current form and risk the comparisons with gas still being superior or take the plunge. Offer additional benefits; a comprehensive home insulation drive, demonstrating the commitment to zero carbon heating by offering other incentives like grants on electric heating or boilers. Methods tailored and suitable to the user.
It remains to be seen which route will be taken, but the choice could have long-standing effects on the future of home heating.
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