Motivations and barriers associated with adopting domestic heat pumps in the UK
The residential sector in the UK is responsible for 16% of total greenhouse gas emissions. That’s a significant amount and presents a crucial challenge in achieving a net-zero target by 2050. One renewable solution that could help combat this issue is the use of heat pumps (HPs). However, despite attempts at sector growth in recent years, HP deployment in the UK remains significantly lower than in neighbouring countries.
This report presents a review of the evidence relating to the factors that encourage or hinder the adoption of HPs in the UK’s residential sector. It identifies three broad themes, including households’ socio-technical characteristics, built environment attributes, and stakeholders’ economic and organisational interests, which impact the scaling up of HPs.
It suggests that financial incentives, increased knowledge and awareness, and effective regulation targeting the right segments of households and buildings are necessary to increase the uptake of HPs. It also highlights the need for a bottom-up approach involving local governments and community-based organisations and addresses the concerns of manufacturers, traders, and installers to make the journey to HPs a positive experience for end-users.
Date: April 25, 2023 10:19 am
Author(s): Sohail Ahmad
Categorised in: Wider Drivers
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