Home owners expect the Government to pay half the ￡10,000 cost of heat pumps, a survey has found.

       Heat pumps, an eco-friendly electric alternative to gas boilers which work like a refrigerator in reverse, have much higher upfront installation costs than gas boilers.

       Air-source heat pumps are currently about ￡10,000, though suppliers are expected to cut these costs over the coming years.

       Home owners have little idea of how much they cost, the survey found, with just one in eight aware that they are more than ￡4,000. The average suggested cost was less than ￡3,300.

       When told the cost range for heat pumps, people wanted the Government to meet nearly half the expense, or about 46 per cent, with more than one in three saying they would need more than 50 per cent of the costs to be met.

       How heat pumps work

       The survey for RSK Group, an environmental, engineering and technical services provider, found that almost 80 per cent of homeowners would install a heat pump system only if they received adequate financial support from the Government to meet the costs of putting in the technology.

       Among those who had gas-fired central heating, 77 per cent would consider buying an alternative system, and seven out of 10 were prepared to pay extra for installation costs if energy bills fell significantly.

       The findings come ahead of a long-awaited heat and buildings strategy from the Government set to be released in the coming weeks, which is expected to set out measures to cut carbon emissions from heating homes, offices and other properties.

       Home heating and hot water supplies are a major source of climate pollution, with the vast majority of UK homes heated with fossil gas-fired boilers that produce carbon emissions, as well as local air pollution.

       On Wednesday, a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research warned that only six per cent of the heat pumps needed to reach the UK’s net zero target of 2050 are currently being installed.