UK heat pump installations fell by 22% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to new government statistics, despite a recent surge in applications for installation grants.
Figures published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) show 20,895 heat pumps were installed in existing domestic properties between January and June, down from 26,768 in the first half of 2025.1
The decline comes as the government seeks a substantial acceleration in deployment under its Warm Homes Plan, which sets an ambition of reaching 450,000 heat pump installations a year by 2030.2
The longer-term trajectory remains upwards. Some 53,250 retrofit heat pumps were installed during 2025, 9% more than the 48,857 recorded in 2024 and more than four-and-a-half times the 11,327 installations recorded in 2020.3 The first-half figure for 2026 was also almost double the 10,605 installations recorded over the corresponding period in 2021.
Air-to-water systems accounted for 99% of retrofit installations during the first six months of this year, up from 93% five years earlier.4
Deployment varied considerably geographically. The South East accounted for 18% of installations in the first half of 2026, followed by the South West with 14% and the East of England with 13%. Only London and Northern Ireland recorded year-on-year increases.
Northern Ireland was the only UK region to record a substantial percentage increase, although installations remained exceptionally low, rising from nine in the first half of 2025 to 36 in the same period this year. Northern Ireland (unlike England, Wales and Scotland) has no widely available grant equivalent to the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme or Home Energy Scotland support, and heat-pump deployment remains at an early stage.5
London has recorded particularly rapid growth over the longer term, with installations increasing 557% from 162 in the first half of 2021 to 1,065 in the equivalent period this year. The South East recorded a 226% increase over the same five-year period, from 1,126 to 3,673.
The latest deployment figures contrast with more recent evidence of strong consumer demand through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) in England and Wales. DESNZ reported 8,150 applications for heat pumps in July, an 81% increase on June and 112% higher than in July 2025.6
Sachin Vibhute, technical consultant and product training manager at LG Electronics, said the combination raised concerns about an “implementation bottleneck”.
“The 22% drop in heat pump installations from the same period last year is indicative of the growing gap between public enthusiasm and the sector’s ability to meet demand,” he said.
“To ensure that the rate of installations can keep pace, investment in training and skills must grow in parallel with demand. As well as avoiding fulfilment delays, expert engineers can ensure installation is carried out correctly for each building’s specifications.”
However, the two sets of figures measure different things and periods. The deployment statistics cover installations completed up to the end of June across the UK, while the July BUS figures measure applications made under a government support scheme operating in England and Wales. DESNZ also cautions that its heat pump deployment statistics should not be directly compared with individual scheme statistics because installation dates and scheme administrative dates may differ.7
The government’s Warm Homes Plan envisages around £2.7 billion of BUS funding between 2025/26 and 2029/30, which it estimates could help around 400,000 additional households and small businesses switch to clean heating.8
The statistics appear to be under undergoing development. They cover MCS-certified air-to-water and ground/water-source heat pumps installed as retrofits in domestic properties, including both government-supported and self-funded installations, but exclude new-build homes, non-domestic buildings and retrofit installations not certified under MCS..9
Notes
[1] Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Heat pump deployment statistics: June 2026 – summary, 10 September 2026; [2] Ibid; [3] Ibid; [4] Ibid; [5] Ibid; [6] Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Record number of heating oil households apply for a heat pump, 27 August 2026; [7] DESNZ, Heat pump deployment statistics: June 2026 – summary; [8] Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Warm Homes Plan, January 2026; [9] DESNZ, Heat pump deployment statistics: June 2026 – summary.
