Despite throwing money at the problem, people still aren’t buying heat pumps

KEY POINTS

• The International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO) report, Decarbonising Home Energy Through Behaviour Change, reviews the international evidence on green purchase decisions and argues for a more comprehensive effort to encourage households to switch to heat pumps.
• The report is underpinned by the COM-B theory of behaviour, which says behaviour change relies on three components:
  • Capability: the feeling that change is possible.
  • Opportunity: social and physical opportunities to change behaviour.
  • Motivation: the desire or need to change behaviour.
• The report therefore calls for multiple policies to be implemented to address all three components, including:
  • Establishing and promoting consistent incentive structures for green purchases.
  • Setting up Home Upgrade Agencies to coordinate consistent messaging and offer bespoke advice and pathways to households.
  • Running a competition promoting innovative ways to minimise the disruption when installing heat pumps.
  • Capitalising on the additional time available before the phase-out of fossil fuels in home heating in the UK by further prioritising insulation and an attendant programme of activity across society.
• Considering social contexts is important when making international comparisons – transferring policy interventions across countries may be ineffective as motivations for installing heat pumps differ.
• Incentive structures need to be tailored to different household contexts to ensure those on middle incomes are not left out of funding opportunities.
• The government should use the delay to the gas boiler ban to 2035 to promote insulation, which could build consumers’ trust in the installation industry.
• Given cost constraints, low- and no-cost interventions that focus on building awareness of and confidence in heat pumps are most likely to get a hearing.