The £7,500 Heat Pump Grant: Why 45% of West Sussex Homeowners Still Say No.

The £7,500 Heat Pump Grant: Why 45% of West Sussex Homeowners Still Say No.

The Hidden Costs Behind the Heat Pump Transition.

The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is robust: the grant was boosted in late 2023 from £5,000 to a substantial £7,500 to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel systems.

Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) are rightly lauded for their superior efficiency, achieving 300% to 400% efficiency compared to the 98% cap of the most efficient gas boilers. 

For homeowners in Horsham and Adur, the financial incentive is strong.

Yet, despite this massive grant, a critical market barrier persists. 

Installer surveys indicate that 45% of potential customers still do not proceed with a heat pump installation after receiving a quote.

Why the Drop-Off? 

The Skills and System Barrier.

The £7,500 grant effectively covers the cost of the core heat pump appliance, but the high overall cost is now increasingly driven by two other factors:

 * The Labour Shortage: High installation costs are a direct result of the scarcity of skilled, accredited labour. 

The national workforce capacity crisis (a projected shortfall of 250,000 tradespeople by 2030) drives up labour rates, acting as a supply-side bottleneck.

 * Peripheral System Upgrades: Heat pumps often require necessary peripheral system upgrades to run efficiently, such as radiator replacement, system re-piping, or insulation improvements. 

These essential works are not fully covered by the BUS grant, adding significantly to the final quoted price.

This explains the 45% quote attrition rate—the total system cost remains too high for many families.

A Practical Bridge: Hybrid Systems

For properties in West Sussex that are more challenging to decarbonise—such as older homes with inadequate insulation or existing radiator constraints—hybrid systems provide a necessary bridge.

A hybrid unit combines a standard heat pump with an auxiliary boiler that uses gas, oil, or LPG. 

While costing £9,000 to £20,000 in total, they are a pragmatic solution that utilises the efficiency of the heat pump for most of the year, reserving the boiler for the coldest days.

At Prime Boiler Care, we specialise in assessing whether your Horsham or Adur property is well-suited for a complete heat pump or hybrid system, or if a more sensible approach is to keep your current gas boiler and modernise where possible.

Get honest advice. 

Contact Prime Boiler Care for a detailed, no-obligation survey that clearly outlines the total cost of keeping your gas boiler and any necessary system upgrades.