Analysis by comparison site Confused.com has shown widely differing rates of heat pump take-up across the country, ranging from Norfolk’s 50% of new builds in 2019-2023 to Liverpool’s less than 1%.
Confused.com has examined the number of heat pump installations in new builds across the country between 2019 and 2023.. Although it found that to-date an average of only 4.9% of new builds had heat pumps installed in the whole time period, the 2023 proportion of 8% was a significant increase on the 3% average back in 2018.
The analysis shows Norfolk way out in front, but a range of other local authorities installed heat pumps in a third of their newbuild properties. The proportion of newbuilds with heat pumps is naturally expected to increase in future as the Future Homes and Buildings Standard is implemented.
| Local authority name | Number of new builds with air source heat pump | % of new builds with air source heat pump |
| King’s Lynn and West Norfolk | 1293 | 52.12% |
| Ceredigion | 307 | 39.26% |
| Breckland | 1213 | 38.58% |
| Tandridge | 440 | 36.24% |
| Mid Suffolk | 1047 | 28.20% |
| Isle of Anglesey | 289 | 26.93% |
| Babergh | 586 | 26.15% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 638 | 25.57% |
| Powys | 436 | 24.99% |
| Cornwall | 3359 | 24.42% |
At the bottom of confused.com’s list were Liverpool, Halton and Sandwell with under 1% of its newbuilds having heat pumps.
The analysis found a much lower proportion of ground source heat pump use in the time period, but Pendle led the way regionally, according to the price comparison site.
| Local authority name | Number of new builds with ground source heat pump | % of new builds with ground source heat pump |
| Pendle | 83 | 7.78% |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 114 | 6.65% |
| Warrington | 177 | 4.77% |
| Cornwall | 477 | 3.47% |
| Bury | 34 | 3.37% |
| Cardiff | 168 | 3.00% |
| Swansea | 73 | 2.84% |
| Newark and Sherwood | 83 | 2.83% |
| Luton | 87 | 2.49% |
| Ceredigion | 19 | 2.43% |
The percentage of new builds installing air source heat pumps has increased across many areas over the last five years, the firm said Bromsgrove, Cotswold, Isle of Anglesey, and Pembrokeshire have all seen over a 40% increase in new builds being constructed with an air source heat pump in the 2019-23 time period.
Heat pumps will be high on the agenda at this year’s InstallerSHOW. Register here for free tickets: installer-2024-splash.reg.buzz
