Our homes are now the second biggest contributor the UK’s carbon footprint, and efforts to address this rely on the widespread replacement of gas boilers with electric heat pumps. But the rollout of heat pumps is slow and behind schedule, despite generous grants on offer, and particularly so among low-to-middle income families and those living in urban areas. Home heating is one of the most visible parts of the net zero transition to households, and a policy shift is required to get more fitted into homes and ensure that all families ultimately benefit via lower energy bills. But these shifts are neither free, nor straightforward. Who is, and isn’t, installing heat pumps across Britain? How can policy encourage greater take-up of heat pumps in a fiscally constrained environment? And how can wider reforms help to ensure that heat pumps deliver ongoing cash savings for consumers – and make the transition an easier sell to the wider public? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new RF research on how to quicken Britain’s heat pumps rollout, we will hear from leading experts on what policy makers can do to encourage take-up of heat pumps, and to make them more palatable to the wider public. The event will be open for people to physically attend, alongside being broadcast via YouTube and the Resolution Foundation website. Viewers will be able to submit questions to the panel before and during the event via Slido.
