UK Group Promotes Heat Pumps With Home Visits – CleanTechnica

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Some people rush to buy the newest new thing. They are the early adopters who want to be ahead of the crowd. They paid $10,000 for the first flat screen TVs because they wanted to be the first to own one, but most people waited until the prices dropped before getting one for themselves. People tend to mistrust new things. They want to see how they work for others before they take the plunge themselves. That aspect of human nature applies to heat pumps. Most of us don’t really understand what they are, how they work, how much they cost, or why we should buy one.

In the UK, a nonprofit called Nesta is helping people learn about heat pumps the old fashioned way — by word of mouth. It connects those who are intrigued by the idea of heat pumps with those who have already installed them in their homes. Instead of a sales pitch, the potential customers get to speak with people who have installed the equipment themselves. That sort of face to face interaction tends to calm people’s fears so the idea of relying on a heat pump is less threatening. Nesta also helps connect potential customers with trained installers who can help them design a system that is right for them and the particular needs of their homes.

Nesta has created an online platform called Visit A Heat Pump that allows heat pump owners to share their experiences with other who are curious about heat pumps. Nesta says homeowners all over the UK are making visits to see a heat pump in real life using that service. Over 600 people have booked a visit to see a heat pump in action in the first six months since the service began, Nesta is now offering a new way for installers to market their installations online using the same platform.

Nesta says transitioning from gas boilers to low carbon heating systems like heat pumps will be essential for the UK to get to net zero, yet even with over 250,000 heat pumps already installed inn UK homes, many people have never seen one in real life. That makes it difficult for people to imagine how they could work in their own home. Using the VisitAHeatPump tool, people interested in getting one can search via their postal code on the website, find nearby owners, and book a visit to see it in that owner’s home.

The service now features 200 heat pump installers, which enables heat pump owners to feature and recommend their installer to visitors. Building trust through personal testimonials and positive real-life experiences with installers helps to address a key barrier to heat pump adoption. By seeing their work in action, new customers have a boost in confidence and installers are more able to grow their business. Some installers are already sharing the platform with prospective customers, with qualitative data suggesting that these customers visit and go on to make an install. Based on its experience during the its first six months of operation, Nesta has published new data that includes insights on visitor motivations, outcomes, and whether visits influence decisions on whether or not to install a heat pump.

Jonathan Saunders is a proud heat pump owner who lives in Kent, southeast of London. He has agreed to participate in the Visit A Heat Pump program and told Bloomberg recently, “If I could chat about this stuff with someone who I know is interested because they’re there for that reason, that’s much better than me boring someone at a dinner party who really, really doesn’t want to talk about this.” Tackling false narratives is one reason he signed up for the Nesta program in the first place. Saunders says he was frustrated by what he saw as negative news coverage about heat pumps that didn’t match his own experiences. “We all live in a media storm, but personal experience trumps everything, always,” he said.

Educating People About Heat Pumps

Uncertainty about how heat pumps work and the hassle of installation, as well as misconceptions about the types of homes they can be installed in, are among the factors putting people off, according to a survey by the utility Eon. Statistics show the Visit A Heat Pump program is working wonderfully well. After participating in a visit and talking with an actual homeowner about heat pumps, 79% of people said they could imagine having a heat pump in their home, That’s up from from 21% of people who said they would consider a heat pump before a visit.

At another Visit A Heat Pump event north of London, a group of folks curious about heat pumps got their questions answered. Sales professionals know that people with unanswered questions seldom decide to buy a product. But once their questions are answered to their satisfaction, the likelihood of them buying goes way up. People wanted to know about the cost of a heat pump installation (in the UK, there is a £7,500 government grant that helps make heat pumps affordable), how long it took to install a heat pump system (four and a half days), and how much work they needed to do to upgrade leaky windows and doors or add extra insulation (that varies for each individual home).

One couple was concerned about the noise and space the unit would take up in the garden. At the end of the visit, they found themselves convinced. “The house is lovely and warm, and everything feels normal,” one of them said. “So it’s an absolute no-brainer.” Another visitor had heard a rumor that heat pumps only worked with underfloor heating. They do work well with underfloor heating, but can also be paired with radiators (although some radiators do need to be replaced). “I’m really delighted about the fact that you haven’t got to rip all the floors up. I think that was the thing that we were worried about,” he said.

The data suggests that visits helped people get a better sense of both the opportunities and challenges of having a heat pump installed and reach a decision about whether a heat pump is right for them. Helping people reach an informed decision more quickly saves time and money for both customers and installers. Many participants stated that their visit did help them to make the final decision to get a heat pump.

Efficient & Cost Effective

Katy King, deputy director of sustainable future at Nesta, said “Heat pumps are the most efficient low-carbon alternative for heating our homes. But it can be difficult for homeowners to make the switch without first seeing one in real life and understanding how it could work in their home. It’s promising to see that six months in, our Visit a Heat Pump service is making a meaningful difference and helping people decide if it’s the right time to get a heat pump themselves. Our research shows that visits provide people with a better understanding of heat pumps and that improves their confidence levels in moving forward with an installation. If more people can see the benefits of a heat pump in action, more people can upgrade their home heating and the UK can get one step closer to net zero.”

What buyers really want is information so they can make a decision that benefits their family. It’s one thing to hear glowing endorsements from sales professionals, but people tend to put more weight on what they hear from actual customers. People are afraid of buying the wrong thing or getting ripped off by unscrupulous installers who disappear once they have your check in their hands, never to be heard from again. That is why the Visit A Heat Pump program is so important; it gives people the confidence they need that heat pumps will do everything the sales brochure says they will and are a worthwhile investment. This is an idea that heat pump manufacturers and sellers in other countries would do well to duplicate.