Faced with the evidence, hard data, from DESNZ, MCS and the heating industry itself, that retrofitting heat pumps in the UK is on a downward spiral, the usual culprits have been quick to assign blame to the gas industry. The shrill voices of those who cannot understand why the world does not bend to their view of it are blaming the gas industry on suggesting hydrogen might have a future heating homes; the same group of all-electric fundamentalists (whatever the cost it doesn’t matter, we are right) now moan about biomethane being injected into the gas networks and used to displace natural gas. And finally, they blame who they describe as luddite installers bad-mouthing heat pump technologies.  

It all sounds compelling, from their angle. They are the experts; they know what is best for the public and there must be someone to blame for the failure to meet the targets they all said were achievable (in fact many said they were too low, but let’s pass over that). 

So, guess what, I did something reckless; so dangerous as to risk the whole decarbonisation project, that’s right, I asked the public. Well, we commissioned some polling and asked why people had not considered fitting a heat pump or decided against it. The responses were not a surprise; frankly, they are so blindingly obvious it makes you wonder why we involved a pollster. 

Respondents were asked to tick as many reasons as they felt appropriate and in descending order here are their reasons:- too expensive to switch (50); require too many changes in the house (39); have a relatively new boiler (35); don’t believe heat pumps work that well (34); electricity prices are too high to be worth switching (32); process of switching is too complicated (15) and other (9).  

Do we think these are more understandable concerns that blaming hydrogen, biomethane and installers?  

And deep down, Whitehall knows the public’s concerns are genuine – after all, they have huge subsidies to lower the upfront capital costs; they have made numerous changes to regulations to make fitting a heat pump easier; they pay for adverts selling the technology; they are reducing the spark gap between unit gas and electric prices. Yet still the data tells an uncomfortable story for the “we know best brigade.” 

Perhaps, and here’s a revolutionary thought, we need to listen to the public more and vested-interest consultants and propagandists less. Embrace all technologies, yes including heat pumps, but biomethane, hybrids and hydrogen too.