Consumer watchdog urges Government to tackle barriers to heat pumps and EVs

The Government indispensable bash much to tackle outgo and different barriers discouraging consumers from switching to vigor pumps and electrical vehicles, Which? has said.

The user watchdog’s yearly survey, present successful its 3rd year, tracks shoppers’ attitudes towards sustainability.

Respondents identified a scope of deterrents putting them disconnected greener location heating and cars – specified arsenic cost, debased awareness, insufficient accusation and concerns astir availability and reliability.

Which? said 71% who knew what vigor pumps were said they were excessively costly for them to instal – a fig that has remained static contempt the Government importantly expanding the assistance disposable done the Boiler Upgrade Scheme successful 2023.

While the outgo of installing vigor pumps varies, the median terms for installing an aerial root vigor pump is conscionable nether £13,000, according to information collected from installers nether the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).

With a grant, the wide outgo tin beryllium reduced by £7,500 to £5,500.

But the mean outgo of installing a modular combi-boiler is £2,597, based connected each models connected Which?’s website.

Which? besides recovered ownership and consciousness of vigor pumps remains comparatively low, with conscionable 2% of homeowners owning a vigor pump and conscionable implicit fractional (55%) alert of what they are.

Of those, 54% said that they would not see installing one.

In presumption of EVs, the fig of radical who ain 1 accrued from 3% successful June 2022 to 6% successful June this year, Which? found.

But the fig of drivers saying they are unwilling to bargain 1 has astir doubled from 1 successful 5 (20%) successful 2022 to 2 successful 5 (39%) now, it said.

The survey recovered astir two-thirds (64%) of non-EV drivers said precocious prices would halt them from buying one.

According to Which?’s pricing information and based connected the models the user champion has tested, the mean caller EV is £47,251.19 – astir £10,000 much than a non-electric equivalent (£37,611.32) successful October 2024.

But prices of caller and 2nd manus EVs are falling, with immoderate 2nd manus EVs present reaching terms parity with petrol and diesel equivalents, it said.

The probe besides recovered 54% are acrophobic astir the region that tin beryllium covered successful a azygous charge, portion a akin proportionality (52%) are disquieted astir the availability of nationalist complaint points.

In the caller Budget, the Government allocated £3.4 cardinal to the Warm Homes Plan, including £1.8 cardinal to enactment substance poorness schemes, describing this arsenic an “initial” committedness and introduced taxation incentives to promote radical to bargain EVs.

But Which? is present calling connected ministers to guarantee the Warm Homes Plan includes measures that enactment consumers with the precocious upfront costs of installing a vigor pump, done caller fiscal products that marque the modulation much affordable arsenic good arsenic nonstop enactment for debased income families.

It is besides urging the UK and devolved governments to supply wide and accordant enactment for the modulation to EVs.

This includes measures similar monitoring user acquisition of nationalist complaint points, supporting the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure, ensuring entree for disabled drivers, and promoting tariffs that marque it cheaper to complaint your car overnight and erstwhile energy request is low.

Sue Davies, Which? caput of user rights and nutrient policy, said: “There are encouraging signs successful this year’s Which? sustainability tracker, specified arsenic a flimsy summation successful ownership of electrical vehicles and an appetite among younger homeowners to power to vigor pumps.

“However, it’s wide that determination is enactment to beryllium done to code the barriers preventing consumers from switching to the much sustainable alternatives that volition assistance the UK execute its nett zero goals.

“As good arsenic cost, these see debased consciousness and insufficient accusation astir vigor pumps and a deficiency of availability and reliability of EV charging stations.”