Research shows that most British people are NOT interested in heat pumps

There may be no interest in heat pumps in the UK anymore, with only one in ten people wanting one installed instead of their gas boiler.

Instead, around half want to use greener hydrogen energy to replace part of their existing gas supply, a new survey shows.

Heat pumps use electricity to remove energy from the environment, and are available in air, water or ground source variants. The government wants 600,000 fitted per year from 2028 – an elevenfold increase from just 55,000 in 2023.

But only one in ten homes has a heat pump or plans to purchase one, according to the YouGov survey commissioned by trade body Energy and Utilities Alliance.

There are currently a total of 200,000 heat pumps in Britain, meaning around 0.74 percent of the country’s 27 million homes have one installed.

If the YouGov survey accurately reflects wider public sentiment, only 2.7 million homes will get a heat pump before demand declines, with most of the remaining 24.3 million relying on gas boilers for heating and hot water.

The government is promoting heat pumps as part of its net zero drive to help reduce carbon emissions in Britain.

The YouGov survey shows that 69 percent of people think it is important to reach net zero by 2050, but 45 percent are not even considering converting their gas boiler to a heat pump.

A remarkable 69 percent of people think it is important that Britain meets its goal of reaching net zero by 2050, but only ten percent of those surveyed said they have or would like to buy a heat pump. In fact, 45 percent of people said they haven’t even considered switching to a heat pump.

However, more than half (51 percent) of people said they would support blending natural gas with hydrogen to reduce carbon emissions from heating homes.

This would allow homes to keep their gas boilers, with most not requiring any adjustments.

Research by government and industry has shown that households can continue to use gas appliances normally, as long as the hydrogen level does not exceed 20 percent.

The government discussed plans to incorporate hydrogen into the gas supply from 2025, but has now postponed this until at least 2026.

Energy Efficiency Minister Martin Callanan said: ‘Heat pumps and heating networks will be the main route to reducing household emissions for the foreseeable future.’

Two-thirds (66 percent) of people said they want their current boilers to be converted to use carbon-free gas, such as hydrogen, in the future.

The high cost of installing heat pumps was criticized by the government’s spending watchdog earlier this year.

Currently, the installation of a heat pump costs four times more than a comparable gas boiler.

The National Audit Office said the high cost of heat pumps and a lack of consumer understanding meant more households were choosing to install heat pumps.

The watchdog said that ‘a key issue behind lower-than-expected uptake of heat pumps is the cost of operation and installation’ and that the government has no ‘long-term plan to address the low level of awareness’ about moving away from gas-powered heating.

The government’s main tool to encourage households to choose heat pumps is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which offers grants of up to £7,500 for the installation of air and ground source heat pumps.

EUA chief executive Mike Foster said: ‘Heat pumps have a role to play in decarbonising our homes, but the upfront and running costs make them a privilege for the wealthy.

‘What is crystal clear is the support for retaining boilers and decarbonising the gas used – with hydrogen being blended into the network, backed by a five to one margin, leaving no doubt about what the public wants.

‘Reaching net zero will require people to make fundamental changes to the way they live their lives and we must give them the choice of how best to do that.’

The YouGov poll was conducted among 2,035 adults.