Mike Foster chief executive of EUA
When asked how much they were willing to pay to have a low carbon heating system installed in their home, only 4 per cent said more than £5000. According to DESNZ, the average installation cost of a heat pump under the BUS is £13,000, so even if households received the £7500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme subsidy, they would still need to find an average of £5500 themselves to fit a heat pump.
DESNZ’s preferred route to decarbonisation of UK homes is with a heat pump and the recent spending review announced that the BUS would grow over the next four years.
Commenting on the poll findings, Mike Foster chief executive of EUA said: “Heat pumps have a role to play in decarbonising UK homes, especially for the relatively well-off. For the vast majority of households, they simply are unwilling to spend the sums needed to fit them. Something needs to change, we need a new plan.
“When we asked the same question last year, we got the same result. And I make this prediction now, when we ask the same question next year we will get the same answer again.
“According to the polling, UK consumers are supportive of the UK’s ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, with 65% saying it was important (against 27% saying it was not important); down slightly from last year (69% to 21%), but they are unwilling to stump up the sums of money that Whitehall expects. It’s time to consider a new plan or risk further erosion of support for net zero.
“As a trade body we are technology agnostic; our members will supply what the consumer wants. But if year after year they signal an unwillingness to spend the sums needed for a heat pump, then other technologies are going to be needed to get to net zero.
“Apart from the high initial cost for fitting a heat pump, consumers using a standard tariff face higher running bills than a gas boiler, too. It should not be a surprise to find that asking consumers to pay more for the same service – heating a home – is not a popular option. Something needs to change.”