Improving heat pump outcomes in social housing: a practical action guide

We work with government, local authorities, housing providers and industry to understand and overcome the technical, commercial and behavioural barriers to heat pump deployment, and to enable their large-scale rollout in practice.

Scaling heat pump deployment needs consistent positive outcomes

Social housing providers are at the forefront of the UK’s transition away from fossil fuels to low carbon heat. But while heat pump deployment is accelerating, outcomes remain inconsistent.

Even installations that meet minimum standards can perform poorly in practice, leading to:

Higher energy bills
Comfort issues for residents
Increased maintenance and call-outs
Reduced confidence in heat pumps
Poor value for public investment

Why this matters

Heat pumps don’t perform like boilers. Heat pump real-world efficiency depends significantly on a chain of decisions, from design and installation through to commissioning and day-to-day use.

In practice, that means:

Two compliant systems can deliver very different outcomes
Accreditation and standards alone do not reliably predict good performance
Poor performance can increase bills and exacerbate fuel poverty

For social housing, these risks are amplified. Residents have limited control over heating system design and installation, yet are directly exposed to the consequences. At the same time, local authority teams are expected to deliver at pace with limited in house technical expertise and rapidly evolving guidance.

About this guide

This practical action guide has been developed by the Carbon Trust, in partnership with Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol, through Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme.

It is designed for non specialists across procurement, delivery and asset management. It brings together real-world evidence and best practice in a practical, decision-focused format. It helps teams to:

Ask the right questions without deep technical expertise
Embed quality into procurement and contracts
Identify issues early and hold suppliers to account
Deliver better outcomes for residents

What this guide helps you do

This guide supports a shift from procuring equipment to procuring outcomes. It provides clear, practical guidance across the full delivery journey, including:

Setting clear performance expectations
Define outcomes for comfort, efficiency and running costs, not just equipment
Procuring with confidence
Ask for evidence of installer capability and past performance, not just accreditations
Getting good installation and commissioning right
Focus on the decisions that drive performance
Supporting residents effectively
Help households understand and use their system to avoid unnecessary issues and costs
Monitoring and improving over time
Build feedback loops so each project delivers better outcomes than the last

This guide complements existing standards (such as MCS), not replace them, by translating best practice into clear, actionable steps for real projects.

Read the guide