Older affluent homeowners with homes suitable for heat pump installation. However, they have low levels of consideration and are often cautious when it comes to green tech.

By the numbers

5.5 million households make up this segment, which tends to be older (with 79% of heads of household aged 56 or older), high-income homeowners. This segment tends to live in large detached properties with very high property values and big outdoor spaces. Residents have often lived in the property for a while, and so properties often have no to little outstanding mortgage. This segment is prominent in commuter boroughs such as Dagenham and Enfield.

This group is more likely to use landline phones and tends to be less confident trying new technology, with 71% saying they don't rush into it. They may watch TV, but prefer to watch it live rather than through streaming services. Some 30% are saving for holidays or travel.

While generally financially comfortable, they can be sceptical when it comes to green technologies, doubting both their necessity and benefit. They tend to be averse to changing their lifestyle for environmental reasons, as they are generally comfortable with what they have. When asked which heat pump benefits would encourage a purchase, they were generally ambivalent. However, the biggest benefit they identified was lower energy bills (16%). This segment tends to live in homes suitable for heat pump installation, with 67% having private outdoor space and 42% having space for a hot water cylinder. One in ten also have solar panels. However, only 40% of this group would consider a heat pump for their next heating system in the next five years – this is below average, especially when compared to the other segments who could afford it.

For 30%, the biggest barrier to getting a heat pump would be installation costs, while they were also the most likely group to suggest that they were happy with their current heating system and don't see any reason to change it (14%). A further 14% are not convinced the technology would be good enough to heat their home.

Deep dive interview insights

Priorities for current heating system

The cost of living crisis is reported by this segment as a real pressure, with ongoing decisions between comfort and cost. While generally more financially comfortable than other segments, there is a reluctance to eat into savings or overspend on energy. As a result, many have adopted energy-saving strategies, including heating only the one room they are using.

Benefits of moving to electricity

Becoming self-sufficient and ultimately reducing their bills is a major motivator to switch to electric heating for this segment. Being able to cool the home in summer is also a motivator.

Approaches for preparatory upgrades

For this segment in particular, the anticipated disruption caused by upgrades is anticipated negatively and ultimately seen as a stressful thing. Although they are broadly favourable to making upgrades, they would prefer to do them all at once.

Sources of information

Family and friends, along with website comparisons, are a trusted source of information. While this segment didn’t express strong views about government advice, they did not report checking government websites for advice on financial support. They do find information on social media, while avoiding certain platforms such as X and filtering out influencers and adverts.

Attitudes towards heat pumps

While participants in this segment report being open to a heat pump in the future, they feel held back by a lack of information – mainly around costs, specifically the payback period, but also around preparatory upgrades and the work and disruption involved. While aware that electric heating can sometimes cost more than gas, there is a keenness to understand how the bills would compare with their current ones.

Potential message themes for this audience

This segment maps across the Britain Talks Climate groups of ‘traditional conservatives’ and ‘rooted patriots’. This signals a preference for stability and continuity, a focus on cost being fair and trust in practical specialists, as opposed to activists, elites and distant institutions. With a strong attachment to place and community, these groups view climate concerns through a conservative lens and focus on immediate lived impact. They maintain a cautious, protective outlook.

Our research to date suggests the message themes worth testing for this group focus on reassurance over momentum, proof of reliability and suitability, detail and clarity, rather than headline savings and a low-disruptive transition narrative. Messages to avoid would be those focused on future technology, lifestyle signalling, technical explanations and climate narratives. While there is more to do to find out ‘what works’ for each segment, initial findings from testing we ran on Meta with this audience group with a few message variations saw the message which referenced trusted, local tradespeople working in homes like theirs achieve the strongest engagement.