In 2022 we delivered a pilot service called Visit A Heat Pump which enabled people to see a heat pump working in real homes and learn more about what it’s like to have one from current owners. We operated a live service with 45 visitors, allowing us to develop a viable service model, discover detailed needs of users and hosts and develop a set of insights and clear recommendations for future development of the service.

Our current phase of work seeks to take this service further and ensure that it can operate effectively at scale in different locations across the UK. Our team is building upon the existing service and delivering it with a wider range of users in order to discover how well it works in multiple locations, how well it works for different users and how it can become sustainable in the longer term in collaboration with our partners.

Most people in the UK have never seen a heat pump. For those considering one, it’s difficult to find out how it might work in their home. We think that if people are able to see a heat pump in real life then they will become more confident in the technology and more likely to take the next steps towards getting one.

Heat pumps are relatively rare in residential properties in the UK – there are only around 250,000 currently. This means that the vast majority of people will never (knowingly) have seen a home with a heat pump.

Our ambition is for everyone in the UK to be able to visit a heat pump near them and get the support they need. If successful, this work will:

• make it possible for anyone to visit a heat pump
• make the best experience for people that actually helps them
• create a scalable and sustainable solution that works across the UK for the long term.

This service aims to further two of the sustainable future mission goals.

• Make it simple and appealing for owner-occupiers to get a heat pump by improving the quality, consistency and accessibility of information available to consumers.
• Shift social norms around heat pumps so that more people believe having a heat pump is normal and desirable through initiatives to make heat pumps more visible in everyday life.

In this phase of work, we hope to see up to 1,000 visitors successfully using the beta service, enabling us to identify areas for improvement through further delivery. We also want to be able to measure feedback from visitors about the usability and usefulness of the service and build agreements with other organisations to support the delivery of the service in the mid to long term as a result of the beta service.

We have designed and launched a service that enables members of the public to visit a heat pump near them. Visit a heat pump combines a digital platform along with recruitment and training of heat pump hosts, providing a full end-to-end service for the public to visit a heat pump and get further support to help them build their confidence.

Since February 2024 our team has been delivering the service nationally, learning from users to make continuous improvements, and starting to embed the service with more partners so that the service can run sustainably in the longer term. We officially launched the platform to the public in April 2024. We have nearly 400 hosts listed and are aiming for over 1,000 visits in the next few months.

We’ll be developing a way to evaluate the service for impact, and build partnerships to support future delivery and growth of the service.

Anyone interested in being a host or visiting a heat pump can register their interest at www.visitaheatpump.com