What do households need to be ready for a heat pump?
Heat pumps will replace boilers in the majority of the UK’s homes. It is estimated that 22.8 million of the UK’s 29 million existing homes (~80%) will have a heat pump by 2050. However, many homes, while technically suitable for a heat pump, are not ready to have one installed immediately without some additional steps.
Whether or not a household is ready for a heat pump broadly depends on three things.
- Is the householder ready to get a heat pump?
- Does the home have the right physical conditions for a heat pump?
- Have the relevant administrative conditions been met?
Together, these factors determine how ‘heat pump-ready’ a household is.
Is the householder ready? Households need to know about heat pumps and be motivated to switch to one. They also need access to funds or finance to pay for a heat pump.
Householder readiness
Is the home ready? The physical state of the property plays a major role. Some steps are necessary while others are desirable. Government data suggests that 80–90% of UK homes already have enough insulation to run a heat pump, but like any heating system, improving insulation and draught-proofing can lower running costs.
There is no universal minimum threshold for the level of insulation that a home needs before installing a heat pump. Homes with less insulation will be more expensive to heat, and some experts are concerned that installing heat pumps in these homes risks undermining their reputation and limiting wide-scale adoption. Others are increasingly relaxed about the amount of insulation needed, and are advocating for less disruptive installations with higher temperature systems as a way to scale adoption. One example of this trend is the elimination of insulation requirements from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in 2024. Measures that reduce running costs can be installed after a heat pump is in place.
Heat pump readiness of the home
Are other requirements met? Getting a heat pump may require approval from the local Distribution Network Operator (DNO). Other procedural steps may include getting an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), a heat loss survey, and planning permission.
Meeting other requirements
Why should homes get ready for a heat pump?
Many of the adjustments needed for a heat pump installation are individually small, but they can add up to considerable additional cost and stress if they all need to be done at the same time. As a result, there are many points where even households motivated to get a heat pump drop out of the journey and opt for a replacement boiler instead. This delays their transition to a heat pump by many years.
The requirements detailed above pose an even bigger barrier to households that only replace their heating system when the old one breaks, ie, a ‘distressed purchase’. According to Which?, three-quarters of homeowners wait until a breakdown before making a decision, and in that crisis moment, they are likely to default to the quickest, most familiar option: either repairing their existing gas boiler or getting a new one.
The complexity of heat pump installations is compounded by a lack of awareness – 45% of people have either never heard of a heat pump or don’t know what heat pumps are, according to surveys by DESNZ and Nesta. Even fewer understand what an installation involves.
- One in three homeowners say they might consider a heat pump if they need to change their heating in the next year.
- Only 15% of homeowners would consider a heat pump if their boiler breaks tomorrow. However, 35% of those who did some research before installing new heating said they actively considered installing a heat pump.
A lack of understanding about what a heat pump installation entails often leads households to make counterproductive choices that make it harder to install a heat pump in the future. For example, removing their hot water cylinder when they install a combi boiler.
If preparatory work is already complete when a homeowner needs to replace their heating, the overall hassle and cost associated with a heat pump is lower. This increases the likelihood of completing a heat pump installation. While not all upgrades are practical to do in advance, due to disruption or uncertainty, some steps can be taken early.
The government has set a goal to allow heat pump installations within 3 days of a final quote. Making homes more ready is a way to achieve this. It will not be a silver bullet – cost and awareness will still be major barriers – but it can make a meaningful difference for some households. On the next page, we explore what ‘making homes heat pump ready’ could entail and what impact that could have on heat pump adoption.
Our hypothesis
Every heat pump installation involves some amount of additional work beyond fitting the unit itself. Some steps are essential (eg, sufficient electrical supply), others are optional but beneficial (eg, extra insulation and solar panels).
If homeowners can complete some of these steps gradually, the transition to a heat pump becomes easier, cheaper, and less disruptive. Making homes and households ‘ready’ for heat pumps should accelerate the shift away from gas boilers.
