UK heat pump sales are the lowest in Europe

Heat pump sales in the UK are the lowest in Europe despite seeing sharp growth last year – with Britons buying less than a tenth as many per household as Norwegians, new figures show.

The Government has put widespread heat pump adoption at the centre of its plan to decarbonise the country’s energy supply so it can hit strict net zero targets.

But experts say that without cutting the UK’s electricity price there is very little chance of achieving the dramatic rise in heat pump sales that is needed.

Some 3.5 heat pumps were sold for every 1,000 households in 2024 in the UK, a 56 per cent rise on the year before as some consumers that can afford it looked to keep their bills down in the longer term – as well as to help the environment and improve the energy ratings of their homes.

But this elevated level compared to 48.1 in market leaders Norway – the biggest purchasers of heat pumps buying at 14 times the rate of people in the UK.

And the UK even trailed second from the bottom Czechia, where 4.4 heat pumps were bought by every 1,000 households – 25 per cent higher than the UK, according to the data from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA).

Electricity currently costs about four times as much as gas for the same amount of energy in the UK – giving the country one of the highest electricity prices in Europe.

And the gap between the electricity and gas price in the UK is the highest in Europe – largely because about four fifths of the levies sit on electricity bills, with the other fifth added to gas bills.

The high electricity price and much lower gas price acts as a considerable disincentive for households to switch from gas central heating to heat pumps, which run on electricity, experts say.

They want to see the levies moved off electricity bills and put onto gas bills or general taxation instead.

Although the UK is at the bottom of the league, the EHPA notes that it is “one of only three in Europe to have grown last year along with Ireland and Portugal, thanks to a steady support scheme for consumers”.

This support comes mostly in the form of a £7,500 grant for which most households are eligible.

Garry Felgate, Chief Executive of The MCS Foundation, which certifies the quality of renewable energy in UK homes, said: “It is great news that the UK is accelerating heat pump sales and installations, thanks in large part to the £7,500 grants available to households who want to switch away from fossil fuel heating.

“Yet we have a long way to go even to catch up with other European nations, not to mention meeting climate goals, which require us to be installing 1.5 million heat pumps a year by 2035.

“Recent Government announcements are set to increase the UK’s upward trajectory. The Future Homes Standard could mean hundreds of thousands of new homes being built with heat pumps every year, and the Government’s £13.2 billion commitment for the Warm Homes Plan is a boost to the sector.

“But to accelerate at the pace required we must see action to reduce electricity prices so that heat pumps become much more financially attractive. The fairest and most effective way to do this would be to move levies off electricity bills into general taxation, which would both tackle fuel poverty and incentivise heat pump uptake.”

Olivia Smalley, Head of Policy and Communications at the UK Heat Pump Association: “UK heat pump sales grew by 56 per cent in 2024 which, together with the examples of successful deployment demonstrated in other countries, underscores the vast opportunity ahead.

“With the right policies, skilled workforce, and consumer incentives and support, we can unlock this potential, resulting in cutting our carbon emissions, strengthening energy security, and driving growth in the UK’s clean energy sector”