Heat pumps have a central role in the decarbonisation of UK residential heating. Practically achieving net zero targets relies heavily on self-motived UK owner-occupiers to develop new technology adoption choices, to facilitate the electrification of heat. A growing challenge for the acceptance and installation of well performing heat pumps in the UK is the idea of suitability and readiness. Questions are arising such as ‘Is my home heat pump ready?’. However, there is currently no widely recognised understanding of what heat pump ready means, or how homes are determined as suitable for heat pumps.

Laurel’s project intends to identify what is meant by the term heat pump ready, through investigating how dwellings are determined as suitable for heat pumps, and the influence of household and dwelling characteristics, pertaining to heat pump-readiness, on householder decisions to install a heat pump. This work will provide clarity on the debate of heat pump suitability for UK dwellings, by applying a research methodological framework for concept development and is among the first to focus on the influence of perceived suitability as an important antecedent of heat pump adoption.