Heat Pumps Today

20 New survey finds public will only replace their gas boilers if government provides substantial financial support “This survey shows that homeowners are willing, in principle, to change from gas boilers to low carbon alternatives such as heat pumps. “But it shows the importance of su cient government incentives to encourage the uptake of heat pumps as a viable alternative to gas boilers with just under 80% of respondents saying they would only install a heat pump system if they received adequate financial support from government. “While the proposed £4,000 available from the Clean Heat Grant would go some way to encourage some to choose heat pumps it may not be enough to encourage the majority to adopt a heating technology that is here and now and ready to go in terms of being a mass market solution. “The government needs to seriously consider increasing the grant available, and extending its duration beyond two years, if we’re really going to make inroads in reaching net zero. December | January 2022 S U R V E Y “It also has a communication job to do, given that only around half of people know of the intention to scrap gas boilers.” ° Eight in 10 people are willing, in principle, to change the way their home is heated to reduce the impact on the environment ° 77% would consider buying one of the alternatives, such as a heat pump ° But survey shows lack of understanding of the costs of installation – respondents’ average estimate is £3,290 but the cost can range from £7,000-£14,000 for an air source heat pump ° As a result, eight in 10 people say they would only switch to heat pumps if they received a substantial government grant ° More than one in three say they would need a grant of more than 50% of the cost to consider installing a heat pump The majority of people are willing to replace their gas boiler with a low carbon heat pump system to reduce the impact on the environment – but only if they received substantial grant support from government, according to a new survey published today. The survey of more than 2,000 homeowners across the UK – believed to be the first major in-depth public survey on this issue – was carried out by Censuswide for the RSK Group, an environmental, engineering and technical services provider. It’s estimated that around 25 million homes in the UK are heated by gas but the government wants to encourage people to replace their gas boilers with heat pump systems or other low carbon alternatives as part of its net zero target. The government has signalled that it may seek to ban gas- fired boilers in new homes from 2025 and in existing houses by the mid-2030s. But the survey finds that while people are willing, in principle, to switch to a heat