One of the best opportunities for passing on the benefits of clean homegrown power is by electrifying heat. While heat pump deployment is growing in some parts of the market, the pace and pattern of progress varies significantly across different regions and building types. This is why it's important to efficiently capture all the relevant data to properly analyse current trends.
Regen’s new Electrified Heat Transition Tracker brings together the latest available data on heat pump deployment across the UK, creating a live resource for policymakers, local leaders and the wider heat sector. The tracker will be updated regularly to help the sector understand where progress is being made, where delivery is stalling and what this means for policy, markets and consumers.
The first edition highlights a striking regional divide in heat pump deployment in new homes, stalled growth in retrofit installations and early signs that Boiler Upgrade Scheme applications may be beginning to rise again.
The Electrified Heat Transition Tracker helps the sector understand where progress is being made, where delivery is stalling and what this means for policy, markets and consumers.
New homes show a striking regional divide in heat pump deployment
Across England, Wales and Scotland, the proportion of new homes being built with heat pumps has continued to rise steadily. For the past year, more than one in five new homes across all three nations has included a heat pump.
The most striking finding from this first tracker update is the scale of regional variation in heat pump deployment in new homes across England. Heat pumps are present in at least 34% of recent new homes in the south of England, reaching 43% in the East of England so far this year. Regions in the Midlands and North are much further behind. Here, less than 20% of homes are built with heat pumps, other than Yorkshire and the Humber, which jumped from 18% in the first quarter of the year to 26% so far this quarter.
London bucks this trend with the lowest rate of installations of any region (10%), but this is likely down to a greater number of developments of flats with heat networks, as well as smaller homes with direct electric heating.
Regional variation in heat pump retrofit is widely understood, with factors such as rurality, gas grid coverage and household income affecting the accessibility of schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. The scale of variation in new homes, however, is less well understood.
There may be several factors behind this pattern, including stronger market signals for low-carbon homes in the south, higher average house prices making it easier to absorb the cost of new technologies, or differences in local planning requirements. This is an area Regen will continue to explore.
All regions will need to accelerate the adoption of low-carbon heat in new homes to meet the Future Homes Standard, but the tracker suggests some are already much closer to that trajectory than others.
The most striking finding from this first tracker update is the scale of regional variation in heat pump deployment in new homes across England.
The tracker shows that heat pump installations in existing homes grew steadily until the beginning of last year, but this growth has now stalled. Installations declined by 5% over 2025 from the peak in Q1, while early data for the first quarter of this year suggests a further decline unless March installations are significantly higher than January and February combined.
This comes in the context of declining installations through the Energy Company Obligation scheme, as it closes, and flat uptake through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
The steady rise in heat pump installations in existing buildings ended in Q1 2025. Install rates have declined over 2025 with initial results projecting further decline in the beginning of 2026.
Our dashboard provides robust, accessible data to inform deployment rates, regional patterns and market momentum to ensure effective policy is developed to meet this target. By bringing key indicators into a single resource, the tracker supports a more informed conversation about the transition.
Signs of renewed momentum?
There are some tentative signs of renewed momentum in the latest Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics. Applications have grown each month this year from a low base, with a 20% increase from February to March. This may translate into higher installation figures in April and May.
With installers reporting increased consumer interest in moving away from gas in response to international energy market uncertainty, future tracker updates will show whether this translates into a sustained increase in installations. Sign-up to our EHTT mailing list to be among the first to find out.
Developing the tracker
The Electrified Heat Transition Tracker builds on the previous tracker from Ambient, with Regen now developing it as an interactive online dashboard. We’re grateful to Ambient for their support in setting up this new version.
Regen will update the data monthly and provide quarterly insight briefings to help policymakers, local leaders and the wider heat sector understand emerging trends. We also plan to expand the dashboard’s features and visualisations over the coming months.
As the UK works to reduce dependence on fossil heating, improve energy security and cut household emissions, the need for trusted insight becomes more urgent. The Electrified Heat Transition Tracker supports that effort by making the latest data accessible and easier to interpret. Better data will not deliver the transition on its own, but it can help policymakers, local leaders and industry understand where intervention is needed and align policy decisions to faster delivery.
Work with us
Regen works with policymakers, local authorities and industry partners on heat decarbonisation strategy, data analysis and policy development. To discuss how we can support your work, contact Peter Griffin.
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