Nearly half of MPs back cutting electricity levies to make heat pumps cheaper

A new landmark study of 111 British MPs reveals cross-party attitudes towards electricity prices and taxes, home efficiency measures and broader understanding of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Heat pump leaders are calling for policymakers to use their influence to better educate people on clean energy-tech solutions, available incentives and to increase accessibility with cheaper electricity.

Electricity tax reform – The clean energy tech revolution begins

Savanta conducted the study ‘Power Politics: Electrifying the Future of British Energy’ on behalf of leading clean energy tech company, Aira. The report found that near half (48%) of MPs would agree to reducing electricity costs to make heat pumps a more affordable alternative to gas boilers, with just 17% saying they would disagree. Overall, 34% said that they would remain neutral or would need to learn more about the benefits of cheaper electricity before backing the policy change.

The findings are a boost for campaigners urging the government to invest in more education and to use their policy powers to enable households to move away from fossil fuels.

In the UK, households currently pay four times more for their electricity than for gas, despite a large share of the country’s electricity coming from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear power. British households face some of the highest electricity prices in Europe, largely because about four-fifths of levies are added to electricity bills, with only one-fifth applied to gas bills, making electricity disproportionately more expensive.

The study revealed a stark polarity of views among MPs, with opposition to removing levies on electricity bills driven predominantly by Liberal Democrats – 58% disagree – compared to 22% of Conservative MPs and just 10% of Labour MPs.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme – Still not widely understood, even by MPs

The Aira survey explores how much MPs in the House of Commons know about the government’s flagship heat pump adoption policy, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Results reveal that just 8% of MPs know a lot about the £7,500 funding available to help households install a heat pump, with nearly one in ten (9%) revealing that they had never heard of the BUS.

Awareness and familiarity with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme vary significantly between parties. Lib Dem MPs show the highest levels of awareness (100%) and familiarity (86%). In contrast, awareness is lowest among Conservative MPs (84%) – despite their party having introduced the policy in 2022 – while Labour MPs report the lowest familiarity at just 58%, with only 5% knowing a lot about the scheme. Overall, while almost nine in ten MPs are aware of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, actionable and detailed understanding is low.

Reducing household emissions – Sustainability starts at home

In response to survey questions about which actions they believe would make the biggest impact in helping their constituents cut household carbon emissions, the majority of MPs pointed to home insulation (71%) and the installation of double or triple glazing (54%) as the most effective solutions.

Nearly one in two MPs felt that installing renewable energy systems such as solar panels (49%) or replacing a gas or oil boiler with a heat pump (45%) would also significantly cut household emissions, showing growing support for clean energy-tech amongst British lawmakers. Helping homes switch from a gas or oil boiler to a heat pump draws mixed views across parties, with 72% of Lib Dems and 50% of Labour MPs positive about the impact, versus just 24% of Conservatives.

Matt Isherwood, Aira UK Service Operations Director, said: “We wanted to find out how MPs see the future of our homes; how they think we can make them cleaner, warmer, and more affordable to run. This report shows us three things: that a strong number of MPs support heat pumps and cheaper electricity prices; that many politicians understand the role heat pumps play in reducing household carbon emissions; and that more needs to be done to educate policymakers and constituents, especially in relation to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme — the government’s flagship heat pump policy.

“The growing support for lower electricity prices shows that it’s high time to get down to business and deliver the ‘big bang’ moment the heat pump industry, politicians, and British households have been waiting for — one that will supercharge the country’s adoption of heat pumps and deliver lower, more stable energy bills for everyone.”