The public’s interest in heat pumps not translating to purchases

New research has revealed a definite demand for transitioning to green energy sources, with 311,500 people searching for green energy sources in the UK each month.

The most popular of those searches is for heat pumps, with 96,4540 people searching for information about heat pumps on Google alone. 

The research, conducted by Confused.com energy, sees solar panels in second place with 68,192 monthly searches, followed by electric radiators (39,323) and Wind Turbines (23,515).

Of those searching for heat pumps, 6,131 go on to search for ‘heat pump costs’ and a further 1,946 people go on to search the installation costs that are incurred on top of this.

Confused.com point out that the Government’s boiler upgrade scheme has been running for two years yet, according to recent figures, less than half of the available £7,500 grants have been claimed.

According to the National Audit Office, 18,900 households in the UK have currently received the grants. This equates to a 38% uptake in the Government scheme, which aims to support 50,000 households before its cut-off date in 2028. 

Confused.com believe that while cost is an issue (even with the grant, customers will have to part with around £5,800 of their own money), their research reveals there are also problems with installing them, with only 17% of all UK towns and cities having at least one renewable company per 10,000 population. In 12% of locations, there are no renewable energy installation companies registered at all.

An energy expert at Confused.com comments: ‘The UK is ramping up its sustainability efforts as it aims to reach net zero by 2050, and we’re even seeing more interest in green energy sources to heat our homes.

‘Online searches for these energy sources are increasing each year, and while government schemes have been set up to encourage adoption, the switch to green energy adoption is still unaffordable for many.

‘However, the strong interest among Brits in green energy sources represents a promising starting point. It demonstrates that, given the proper education and resources, we can expect a rise in households adopting green energy for heating in the future.’