A new consumer guide – ‘Heat pump talk – effective conversations between customers and installers throughout the heat pump installation journey’ – has been launched by Energy Systems Catapult, the Net Zero innovation centre, to help homeowners make an informed decision regarding the switch to a heat pump.

While heat pumps installations in the UK almost tripled to an estimated 42,779  in the UK in 2021^[1] (up almost 16,000 from 2020^[2]), the latest Government surveys show only 4% of the public feel they know a lot about heat pumps and 77% of consumers had little or no awareness at all. The guide takes consumers on four stages of the full heat pump installation journey:

1. Enquiry stage,
2. Survey and design,
3. Installation,
4. Post-installation stage.

Throughout every stage of the process, customers are provided with the types of questions they could discuss with their heat pump installer to help them make the right decision for their home based on their individual heat and hot water needs. While not exhaustive, the questions and comments provide a steer for consumers to begin, and complete, their heat pump journey.

At the ‘enquiry stage’ for instance, it is important that consumers ask the right questions to learn more about what living with a heat pump would be like and what the installation process would look like for their home. For example, at this stage, consumers should ask their installer about:

• What the initial costs may be?
• What funding is available to support their transition to a heat pump?
• What impact the installation is likely to have on their home?

It is at this stage that an installer would be able to advise on the suitability of a heat pump in the property.

During the ‘survey and design’ stage, an assessment of a customer’s house will be carried out. Consumers should use this as an opportunity to provide the installer with as much information as possible on their heat and hot water requirements. For example, consumers should:

• Make the installer aware of their typical hot water usage and the temperature they warm their home to,
• Notify the installer of any planned renovations to the property, as this will impact the type and size of heat pump specified.

Guy Newey, Chief Executive Officer at Energy Systems Catapult, said:

“As someone who has recently installed an air source heat pump in my own home, I know just how many questions a customer might have about the transition to a heat pump. Even after my years of working in the energy sector, I still had questions.

“Questions about cost, efficiency, energy bills, and disruption are common, but if you are armed with the right information, customers can make a decision that is right for them – and make the installation process much smoother.”

‘Heat Pump Talk’ was produced as part of the ‘Electrification of Heat’ Demonstration Project. The Project, which is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), seeks to better understand the feasibility of a large-scale rollout of heat pumps in homes across the UK.

During the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project, Energy Systems Catapult spoke to many participants about their experience of the heat pump installation process. From this, the team learned how customers can interact most effectively at different stages with their installer.

[1] https://www.newscientist.com/article/2328095-uks-slow-heat-pump-efforts-will-take-600-years-to-meet-2050-target/#:~:text=Advertisement,country’s%202050%20net%2Dzero%20goal.

[2] https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/the-future-of-heating-in-the-uk-heat-pumps-or-hydrogen/