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Eco high-earning Gen X-ers

Comprising around 1.4 million households, this segment tends to be older families (with 37% of heads of household aged 46-55) who own larger properties, with three or four bedrooms, valued well above the national average. This segment is prominent in Greater London, the Home Counties, and the east of England. Over half (52%) of this group are in the top 20% in terms of household income.

40% of this segment are currently saving for retirement, with 33% putting money aside for an emergency fund. As high internet users, this segment consumes their news online and gets it from newspapers, podcasts, and streamed content through Sky and BBC.

They are environmentally aware and don’t usually mind paying extra for green products. They have high levels of awareness when it comes to heat pumps, and 51% would consider a heat pump for their next heating system in the next five years. While one in four (27%) said a heat pump would be affordable, overall, this segment’s biggest barrier to getting one is its installation costs (29%), followed by a lack of conviction that the tech would be good enough to heat their home (13%). The biggest benefit of a heat pump for this group would be its environmentally-friendly credentials when compared to traditional heating systems (20%), followed by lower household bills (17%).

This segment has the fewest barriers to heat pump uptake. The majority own their own home. One in ten already have solar panels, and one in four are already using an induction hob instead of gas for cooking. The majority have outdoor space for a heat pump unit, and over a third say they have space for a hot water tank.

Dashboard showing data points including demographics about this segment like age, home details and media usage Read the text-based description of this image

Image Description

Pen Portraits A.jpg (Eco, high-earning Gen x-ers) A dashboard titled "Heat Pump Adopter Segments | Portraits" displays information for "Eco, high-earning Gen x-ers," representing 5% of UK households. This segment consists of older and affluent individuals who own their own substantial properties, environmentally conscious with high levels of awareness and consideration. Key data includes:

  • Age: 46-60 (57% of segment)
  • Number of bedrooms: 3 (38% of segment)
  • Tenure: Owned (76% of segment)
  • Family Lifestage: Family no children <18 (26% of segment)
  • ECO4 Scheme: Eligible (0% of segment)
  • Household Composition: Family + other adults (31% of segment)
  • Residence Type: Terraced (31% of segment)
  • Electricity Provider: Octopus Energy (28% of segment) The "Biggest Heat Pump Enablers" are "It's more environmentally friendly and sustainable than traditional heating systems" (20%), "It can help lower household energy bills" (17%), and "It would heat my home better/more reliably than my current system" (7%). The "Biggest Heat Pump Barriers" are "Too expensive to install" (29%), "Not convinced that the technology is good enough to heat my home" (13%), and "I will stick with my current system until it needs replacing" (11%). A bar chart shows "Which of the following does your home have?" with "Private Outdoor Space" at 55% and "Hot Water Cylinder" at 33%. Other sections include "Heat Pumps" (Would consider installing: 77%, Aware of heat pumps: 66%), "Current heating system" (Mains gas: 77%, Direct Electric: 3%, Heat pump: 3%), "Measure of environmental awareness: 8/10," "Homeowners Without A Mortgage," "Rurallity Index," "TV News network" (BBC News, ITV News, Sky News), "Social media" (Facebook, Instagram, X), and "Political Party" (Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat). An image shows a man and a woman in a kitchen.
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Targeting heat pumps: eight key consumer audiences

From budget-conscious millennial parents to rural retirees, we’ve identified eight unique segments of the UK population to understand who are most likely to be heat pump owners next and who is further away.
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24 July 2025

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