30 October 2025
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New polling by Nesta reveals a gender divide in attitudes towards heat pumps - the green tech hailed as the solution to heating our homes.
Conducted by YouGov on behalf of Nesta, the poll quizzed more than 7000 UK respondents about their attitudes and knowledge surrounding heat pumps - a low-carbon replacement for fossil fuel heating like gas boilers or oil.
Awareness of heat pumps has soared (89%) in the UK among those who don’t have a heat pump in their home, compared to overall awareness of 64% reported by Which? - but the survey highlights some differences between men and women.
More than 9 in 10 (93%) men who do not have a heat pump had heard of the tech before, and 6 in 10 of those had seen one. Meanwhile, 86% of women who do not have a heat pump had heard of them and less than half of those (42%) had seen one. More women (40%) than men (28%) said they had heard of heat pumps but did not know what they were.
Among those who are aware of heat pumps - 11% of men and women know someone with a heat pump, but heat pumps appeared to be a slightly hotter topic of conversation for men, with almost a quarter (24%) reporting that they had spoken to friends, families and neighbours about installing a heat pump in their home, while 20% of women reported the same. When homeowners with gas as their main source of heating were asked who they would consult for boiler advice, women were more likely to lean on the expertise of their household members (18%), than men (12%) and their family (20%) than men (14%).
But men and women have broadly similar views about the benefits of heat pumps. Men were only slightly more likely (45%) than women (42%) to consider installing a heat pump in their home. When homeowners were asked what would encourage them to install a heat pump in the future, men cited lower energy bills (34%) more often than women (30%), while more women (31%) reported sustainability as a factor than men (27%).
Heat pumps have been hailed as the green solution to heating our homes. They run on electricity, which uses much less carbon than fossil fuel heating systems. But they are also highly efficient: producing three or four times more heat than gas boilers, and proven to work in some of the coldest parts of Europe.
But heat pumps aren’t the only green solution that men are leading the charge on. Nesta finds that more men (14%) than women had received a quote for solar panels than women (10%). According to a survey from EVA England nearly four in five (78.8%) surveyed EV drivers were male and 21.2% were female.
Katy King, deputy director of Nesta’s sustainable future mission said: “While it seems that men are more interested and aware of heat pumps, we now need to translate this interest into even more installations for all households. Anyone that is curious about heat pumps can sign up to learn more through our Visit a Heat Pump Scheme. For men and women alike, seeing a heat pump in person gives them a chance to ask questions about the technology and ultimately make an informed and confident decision on the right heat pump for them.”
Some women are bucking the trend as the heat pump enthusiasts of their household. Catherine had a heat pump installed when she steered the project for her home renovation, knocking down 90% of her bungalow and renovating it into a four bedroom house. She said: “I wanted to be as environmentally friendly as possible and installed underfloor heating, a heat pump and solar panels. I was the one who drove it forward - my husband was on board but I did the research and organisation for the project. My family and friends wanted to know if the noise and appearance bother me, but it’s tucked away in the garden and doesn’t disturb us in any way, it’s quite discreet.”
The poll also revealed that twice as many people (57%) over the age of 55 wouldn’t consider a heat pump over their younger counterparts aged 18-24 (28%), citing expense and lack of trust in the technology as the most common reason despite having more knowledge and the resources to adopt them.
www.nesta.org.uk
