How do social relations shape the adoption of heat pumps in the UK?

[Lewis Hubbard]

I’m Lewis, a 3rd year Environmental Sciences student at the University of East Anglia. I’m conducting a short survey as part of my final year project which is looking at how the adoption of low carbon heating systems like heat pumps is impacted by different kinds of social relation. The survey is completely anonymous and will take just 5 minutes of your time. Respondents must be over 18 and currently living in the UK. Your input will be extremely valuable whether you’re familiar with the subject or not. To complete the survey please follow this link:

 

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=lYdfxj26UUOKBwhl5djwkJnQbzp5NitHoYPqpD7EGBlUQ1lJWENHTDhXNlpYTU5JVThIOUlOS0FBNy4u

 

Thank you for your time and support – it is much appreciated!

 

[Sparrowhawk]

Hi @Lewis Hubbard! Just checking - the survey says "heat pumps within East Anglia" - you're happy for people living outside EA to fill it in?

[Nick Laslett]

Completed. 

[PhilT]

Me too. Q4 to Q6 not entirely logical so for q4 I already have a heat pump but for q5 have guessed option 4 with reason: replacement of existing

[sharpener]

Completed. Would have been good if there had been an option for BuildHub or similar fora.

[Lewis Hubbard]

@Sparrowhawk yes please, I have changed it to UK now!

[ectoplasmosis]

Done

[miike]

I'm not sure how many conclusions you can make from this survey for social relations impacting the adoption of heat pumps as the questions are quite limited. 

 

For me it was 100% financial, and I was only interested after the £7.5k grant was introduced - the previous one at £5k wasn't worth it for me, and the £7.5k only really puts the ASHP on equal ground with a gas boiler. Without the grant, I think interest in heat pumps would drop to basically 0 until the price comes way down, regardless of how much friends/family recommend them. 

 

 

[G and J]

Survey done.  
 

I find the whole attitude to ASHPs fascinating as we talk to different peeps re our plans.  I know my new neighbours would much prefer us to keep gas.  Ho humm.

[ProDave]

6 minutes ago, G and J said:

I find the whole attitude to ASHPs fascinating as we talk to different peeps re our plans.  I know my new neighbours would much prefer us to keep gas.  Ho humm.

People often criticise ASHP's for being "noisiy"  I am visiting relatives and they have a gas boiler on the landing of all places right outside our bedroom door.  When that fires up in the morning it is like a jet plane on the landing getting ready for take off.  How on earth do people put up with something so noisy INSIDE their house, when instead they could have something so much quieter to produce their heat, and what little noise it makes is OUTSIDE their house.

[G and J]

Because they ‘know’ heat pumps are worse because aunty Enid’s friends neighbour’s son in law lived in a council house with a huge noisy heat pump dumped right outside their bedroom window which ran 24-7 but the house was still cold with luke warm rads and a electric bill they couldn’t pay.* 

(*A fictitious account based on real life early ASHP installations in social houses that I’ve seen first hand).