Many UK householders have a strong appetite for investing in more sustainable forms of home heating that will reduce energy bills and be better for the environment, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by Wolseley.
The survey of 1000 homeowners and tenants found that more people (34%) intend to spend their money changing their heating system over holidays or other experiences (31%) this year. Almost half (48%) believe it is important for their energy source to be environmentally friendly, while 52% will consider the environment when they next renew their heating system.
When asked about the type of heating system they would be interested in, 72% of people said that they would seek a heat pump, hydrogen or other non-gas/oil boiler to deliver cheaper long-term energy costs.
However, the survey also identified challenges that need to be overcome to make sustainable forms of heating more accessible: 55% cite high expense as the main barrier to installing more sustainable forms of home heating, while 60% admitted that they had a lack of knowledge on the issue. 36% want to wait until government funding/subsidies become clearer before switching to more sustainable heat sources, and 24% said that they did not understand the benefits/advantages at all. Only 14% of people trust the government to provide clear and fair advice about their future heating options
The extent to which homeowners depend upon specialist heating engineers and merchants to advise them on their heating options and system costs was also clear (74%). Across the UK, 23% of people had already discussed options for a heat pump or a hydrogen/hybrid boiler as a more sustainable alternative, rising to 28% in Scotland, but with the south coast region seeing a far lower figure of 10%.
“Transforming the way that UK homes are heated to reduce environmental impact will take time,” says Wolseley group CEO Simon Oakland. “There are big hurdles to overcome around cost and reskilling of existing heating engineers. Specialist merchants, like Wolseley, will be critical in providing the support, training and advice needed to increase the number of installers able to provide these new technologies.
“It is clear that the government and the home heating sector need to be working together more closely to accelerate this transition by making the available grants and subsidies clearer, and the options more understandable,” he adds. “The appetite for more sustainable home heating is clearly there across the country.”
