Myths about heat pumps block uptake
🚫 False: “Heat pumps don’t work at low temperatures”
🚫 False: “Heat pumps don’t work in old homes, flats, or less insulated homes”
🚫 False: “Heat pumps are noisy”
Myth busting is behavioral & I loved having a small role in this work ⬇️
🔗 https://shorturl.at/snGkB
🚫 False: “Heat pumps don’t work at low temperatures”
🚫 False: “Heat pumps don’t work in old homes, flats, or less insulated homes”
🚫 False: “Heat pumps are noisy”
Myth busting is behavioral & I loved having a small role in this work ⬇️
🔗 https://shorturl.at/snGkB
Comments
I think generally it can help to reduce skepticism by comparing heat pumps to familiar technologies
I’ve seen a campaign that frames heat pumps as “boilers that run on air”
Appealing to wide audiences that are armed with misinformation is delicate. But it seems to go well when we present heat pumps through the lens of energy security and bills ⬇️
🔗 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/03/theyve-heard-so-much-wrong-information-selling-heat-pumps-across-germanys-political-divide
This just ain’t true ‼️
The UK government assumes a lifetime of 20 YEARS in its official impact assessment for heat pump subsidies
(Gas boilers last ~15y 👀)
A heat pump was installed in the City Hall of Zurich in 1938 and was not replaced until 2001 ⬇️⬇️⬇️
They are about as loud as a fridge and quieter than moderate rainfall ⬇️
Over ~70% of users are satisfied by their heat pump’s
⚠️ Safety
🛁 Hot water heating
🙌🏻 Reliability
🔇 Noise
♨️ Space heating
👍🏻 Ease of use
⚡️ Energy efficiency
💵 Maintenance cost
💸 Running cost
Data from @nestauk.bsky.social
Fig. by @carbonbrief.org
Across Europe (where heat pumps are at a later stage of adoption, so a little less skewed) you find similar high satisfaction ratings
🔗 https://www.coolproducts.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/EEB-Heat-Pump-Comfort-Audit-Report.pdf
You might be interested in the below @danielread.bsky.social - the “expensive” barrier is pervasive globally!
2X as efficient
Actual energy use for heating 3000 kWh versus 5500-6500 kWh gas for same period last two years. House much more comfortable.
Really interesting to hear this first hand 🙏🏻
Spread the news: ‼️ Heat pumps are more common in European countries with colder climates ‼️
If the Swedes, Norwegians, and Finnish can hack it, so can you 📉⬇️
The @carbonbrief.org team say that the reliance on backup heating systems is also a bit of a myth 🚩
In the UK, 79% of the homes monitored under the ‘electrification of heat project’ have no backup heating system and meet hot water/space heating needs
It's certainly true that there is a training/skills gap for heat pump installers 👷♀️
And why don't professionals re-train for heat pump skills? ⬇️
1️⃣⏱️ An aging workforce: only 6% of UK gas engineers are below 35, and 82% are above 41. Retirement from this industry starts ~55yo, so retraining feels futile
2️⃣☑️ Lack of confidence in heat pumps: Engineers worry that demand is low and HP won't scale any time soon
4️⃣📈 No wage increase for heat pump installers: You don't get paid more for heat pumps ⬇️ The average max. salary for heat engineers: £46K, but heat pumps: £42.2K.
Naturally, we are all sceptical that new technologies will be as good as our boilers 🤔
AND the stakes are high: if they don’t work we will be cold and uncomfortable. Yuck 🥶
High upfront costs make a the risk feel even more risky 🎲