Here’s a table that shows the number of newly built homes in England and Wales that have been constructed with heat pumps between 2019 and 2023.

Air-source and ground-source heat pumps (GSHP) are only in a small number of new-builds. Since 2019, air-source heat pumps have been installed in 4.53% of new homes, while ground source heat pumps are in just 0.39%. Together, they are in 4.92% of all new-builds in England and Wales. This means around 54,000 new homes are using these green options. 

Adoption of heat pumps in new-builds: Is it improving? 

Yes. Between 2018 and 2023, the installation of air-source and ground-source heat pumps in new homes across England and Wales has increased. Installation of air-source heat pumps went from 2.68% in 2018 to 7.58% in 2023, a jump of 4.9 percentage points. Ground-source heat pumps rose from 0.21% to 0.47% in 2023, a change of 0.26 percentage points. 

The increases are modest, but there’s a definite move towards greener heating in newly built homes, fuelled by environmental consciousness and advancements in renewable energy technology. 

The areas leading the way 

The top 10 local authorities in England and Wales with the largest per cent of new-builds with air-source heat pumps between 2019 and 2023 are…

In King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, over half of new homes built between 2018 and 2023 had heat pumps installed in them, followed by Ceredigion with 39.26% and Breckland with 38.58%. Some areas like Liverpool (0.08%), Halton (0.08%) and Sandwell (0.04%), though, have had very low adoption rates of air-source heat pumps in newly built homes. 

The top 10 local authorities in England and Wales with the largest per cent of new-builds with ground-source heat pumps between 2019 and 2023 are…

Some areas, like Pendle (7.78%), Rhondda Cynon Taf (6.65%) and Warrington (4.77%), stand out with higher adoption rates of ground-source heat pumps in new-builds. But most areas have lower rates with many below one per cent, suggesting slower GSHP uptake overall, especially compared to air-source heat pumps. 

So, which areas have improved the most over five years for heat pump installations in new-builds? 

The top 10 local authorities in England and Wales with the largest per cent increase of new-builds with air-source heat pumps between 2018 and 2023 are…

The percentage of new-builds installing air-source heat pumps has increased across many areas over the last five years. Showing a growing trend towards sustainable heating solutions. Bromsgrove, Cotswold, Isle of Anglesey and Pembrokeshire have all seen over a 40% increase in new-builds being constructed with an air-source heat pump. 

The top 10 local authorities in England and Wales with the largest per cent increase of new- builds with ground-source heat pumps between 2018 and 2023 are…

In Pendle, the use of ground0source heat pumps in new buildings jumped from 0.95% to 28.52% over five years, showing more interest in this heating method. In Luton, no new-builds had these pumps in 2018, but had increased to 87 in 2023. 

All other areas in England and Wales saw less than a 10 percentage point increase over five years, suggesting a much slower takeup of ground-source heat pumps compared to air-source heat pumps. 

Heat pumps in homes are slowly getting more popular, but are still a long way off from being the most common heating source installed in new homes. Between air-source and ground-source heat pumps, air-source is leading the way. This is likely due to the space required to 

install it and the overall cost. While the costs of installing greener heating sources are still high, consumers can look for the most cost-effective options for their energy needs by comparing quotes at reliable websites. 

Methodology of the study that formed the basis of this report 

● Domestic EPCs issued in England & Wales between 2018 and 2023 were sourced from epc.opendatacommunities.org, and filtered for those issued to new builds. 

● The number of EPCs listing either air-source heat pump and/or ground-source heat pump was counted for each local authority in England & Wales, compared by the total in the period 2019-2023 and the change between 2018 and 2023. 

● Where EPCs were issued in local authorities that no longer exist due to mergers, they were counted towards the totals of the new local authority. 

● The Isles of Scilly was removed, as less than 10 new-builds were listed over the total period. 

● The City of London was removed from the five-year change data, as zero new-builds were registered in 2023. 

In a small number of cases, properties have both air- and ground-source heat pumps – the combined figures only include such properties once.