Accredited official statistics

English Housing Survey 2023 to 2024: low carbon technologies in English homes - fact sheet

Published 15 May 2025

Applies to England

The English Housing Survey (EHS) collects information on the energy efficiency of housing in England as well as types of heating systems, primary fuels and low carbon technologies.  

This fact sheet examines the prevalence and preparedness of English homes for low carbon technologies such as heat pumps and electric vehicle (EV) charge points. It also looks at the households that may benefit most from switching to low carbon technologies within their homes. 

The UK was the first major economy to legislate for a 2050 target for net zero emissions. Achieving net zero is needed to limit the negative impacts of increased global temperatures and avoid catastrophic climate change. Domestic dwellings account for around 13% of the UK greenhouse gas emissions Green Energy Mission and road transport accounts for 89% of domestic transport greenhouse gas emissions, with cars alone responsible for 57% of those emissions Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate. Decarbonising dwellings will require the adoption of new, smarter technologies and practices. Measures such as the installation of low carbon heating systems (such as heat pumps), switching from fossil fuels to electricity, installing renewable energy systems (such as solar panels) and changing to an electric car will lower energy bills will improve thermal comfort and reduce households’ environmental impact. 

Low carbon technologies 

Low carbon technology produces less pollution than traditional energy sources and will play a vital role in the transition to a low carbon economy. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Public Attitudes Tracker reported air source heat pumps were the most popular low carbon technology to install.  

1. Heat pumps 

Heat pumps use electricity to transfer heat from the external environment (mainly the air or ground) to the inside of a building, to provide heating (e.g. by heating water in a central heating system). Heat pumps are more than three times as efficient as gas boilers, meaning they reduce household carbon emissions by around 70% – which will increase further as the UK electricity grid continues to decarbonise.   

Data on the number of certified installations of heat pumps are also available in the MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) dashboard. However, MCS does not cover all installations, for example some installations in new buildings are not typically recorded in the MCS database. Because of this, figures derived from MCS may differ from EHS stock estimates. 

In 2023, there were 276,000 dwellings (1%) in England that used a heat pump as the primary space heating system, Annex Table 1.  

Heat pumps were most likely to be found in owner occupied dwellings (1%) and social rented dwellings (1%) compared with private rented (0.5%). In terms of area, dwellings in rural areas (8%) were more likely compared with urban areas (0.5%). Households with a mid-range income (second or third quintile) were more likely to have heat pumps compared with those on the lowest income quintile, Annex Tables 1 and 2.  

Profile of dwellings and households with heat pumps. 

2. Heat networks 

Heat networks supply heat from centralised sources via a network of pipes carrying hot water and, in high-density urban areas, they are often a low cost, low carbon heating option. They can use any source of heat such as heat pumps, geothermal energy, or waste heat from industry. This flexibility means they are well placed to cut bills, boost energy independence and tackle the climate crisis. The majority of heat networks currently use natural gas and will be converted to other heat sources in the future. 

DESNZ publish statistics on the number of Heat Networks registered under the Heat Network Regulations, and figures are slightly higher for the EHS because DESNZ statistics cover registered networks only.  

In 2023, there were 646,000 dwellings (3%) using communal heating as their primary heating system, Annex Table 1.  

Communal heating was most likely to be found in flats (11%) compared with houses/bungalows (0.2%), dwellings in urban areas (3%) compared with those in rural areas (0.6%), and in social rented dwellings (7%) compared with private rented dwellings (4%) and owner occupied dwellings (1%).

Profile of dwellings and households with heat networks (communal heating). 

3. Photovoltaic panels 

Solar panels capture the sun’s energy, converting it into electricity for the home. A large photovoltaic (PV) system could provide a surplus of energy, allowing a household to export electricity to the national grid. Solar panels are installed on the roof of the dwelling and can help cut electricity bills and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. They are one of the most popular low carbon technologies. 

In 2023, around 1.5 million dwellings (6%) had PV panels present. PV panels were more likely to be found on owner occupied dwellings (7%) compared with social and private rented dwellings (5% and 2%, respectively). In terms of dwelling type, PV panels were more likely present on houses/bungalows (7%) compared with flats (3%). Dwellings in rural areas (11%) were more likely to have panels compared with urban areas (5%), Annex Table 1.  Moreover, PV panels were more likely to be present in households where the household reference person (HRP) was aged 65 years or over (8%) compared with all younger households (4% to 6%), possibly reflecting the age profile of households in rural areas or higher incomes in older households. Households in the three highest income quintiles (6% to 8%) were more likely to have PV panels, compared with households in the lowest (first) income quintile (4%), Annex Table 2. 

Profile of dwellings and households with solar photovoltaic panels. 

4. Electric/hybrid vehicles 

Around 19.3 million households owned or had access to at least one car or van. Of those, around 1 million households reported having access to a self-charging hybrid electric vehicle without plug-in facilities, 629,000 households reported having a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle available and 608,000 households reported having a plug-in electric vehicle available. Overall, around one in ten households (11%) who had access to a car used either an electric or hybrid vehicle, Annex Table 3. 

Owner occupiers were more likely to have an electric/hybrid vehicle (13%) than private renters (8%) and social renters (6%). Households in the two highest income quintiles (13% and 18%) were more likely compared with the lowest three income quintiles (7% to 9%). Households where the HRP was in a middle-aged cohort (12% to 13%) were more likely to have an electric/hybrid vehicle compared with those where the HRP was aged 16 to 34 (8%) and 65 or over (10%). 

Households living in rural areas (14%) were more likely than households living in urban areas (11%) to have an electric/hybrid vehicle.

Ownership of an electric/hybrid vehicle was likely driven by affordability, with owner occupiers, those in rural areas, households in the highest income quintiles and households where the HRP was middle aged most likely to own an electric/hybrid vehicle.  

 

5. Access to electric vehicle charge points 

To support phasing out cars that rely solely on internal combustion engines and the transition to electric vehicles by 2030, more accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging points are required.  

The EHS identifies different types of charge points: a charge point attached to a dwelling for exclusive use, a communal charge point for shared use by residents, or via an on-street point within 100 metres of the home. For the purposes of this fact sheet we have combined them into one variable to show total access. For the different types, see Live Table DA8101. 

In 2023, there were 1.8 million dwellings with access to an EV charge point. Around 930,000 dwellings had access to a charge point for exclusive use; 135,000 dwellings had a charge point for communal use and 714,000 had access via an on-street point within 100 meters of the home, Annex Table 1 and Live Table DA8101. 

There were some noticeable differences between access to electric/hybrid vehicles and access to an EV charge point in rurality and age of HRP. There was a higher proportion of households with a HRP aged 64 or younger (8% to 10%) with access to an EV charge point compared with households with a HRP 65 years or older (5%), and there was no significant difference in access between rural or urban areas, Annex Tables 1 and 2.  

However, findings by tenure and income followed a similar pattern. Owner occupied dwellings were more likely to have access to an EV charge point (8%) than private rented dwellings (7%) or social rented dwellings (5%). Households in the highest quintile were more likely to have access to an EV charge point (14%) compared with households in all other income quintiles (3% to 9%). 

Households living in flats (11%) were more likely to have access to an EV charge point compared with houses/bungalows (6%). 

Owner occupied, younger households, those with the highest income and those living in flats were more likely to have access to EV charge points.

Households most likely to benefit from low carbon technologies

Renewable energy and electric technologies are more energy efficient than fossil fuel alternatives. If households made a switch to greener technologies, those currently in the lowest energy efficient homes would see the greatest reduction in energy bills and greatest increase in thermal comfort. Households in homes heated by fossil fuels or old heating systems would see a reduction in carbon emissions. 

6. Energy Efficiency 

Dwellings with the lowest energy efficiency ratings (EER) have higher average annual modelled fuel costs and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (for more information see chapter 1 of the 2022-23 Energy Report). Households living in these worse-performing dwellings should benefit most from the Net Zero transition if they receive measures to improve their dwelling’s energy efficiency or move to a heating system that is more efficient and runs on cheaper tariffs. 

In 2023-24, 553,000 (2%) of dwellings were rated as the lowest energy efficiency ratings of F or G. Households living in these homes were most likely in the private sector (owner occupiers, 3% and private renters, 3%) compared with social renters (0.3%), Annex Table 4.  

There was a stark difference between urban and rural areas. Just over one in ten households in rural areas lived in a home with the lowest EER bands F or G (13%) compared with just 1% of households in urban homes. 

There were also some differences by household composition. Couples without dependent children (3%) and one person households (2%) were more likely to live in these homes compared with other multi-person households (1%). 

Older households with a HRP aged 65 or over (3%) were also more likely to live in the least energy efficient homes compared with younger households (0.7% to 2%). The trend of younger households living in more energy efficient homes was particularly evident in the highest EER bands A to C; 60% of households occupied by a HRP aged 16 to 34 years were in this banding compared with only 46% of homes occupied by a HRP aged 65 or over. 

The private sector, older households, those with no dependent children or one person households and households living in a rural setting were more likely to live in the least energy efficient dwellings F or G. 

7. Heating and types of fuel 

The majority of dwellings still rely on burning high-carbon fossil fuels for heating and since nearly half of the fossil fuel gas consumed by the UK each year goes on heating, transitioning to low carbon alternative has a key role in reaching Net Zero. 

In 2023-24, around 21.2 million (86%) households used a gas fired main heating system to heat their home and 809,000 households (3%) were heated by a solid or oil fired system. A further 2 million households (8%) used an electrical system for heating, and 608,000 households (2%) were heated by a communal system, Annex Table 4.   

Solid fuel or oil fired system 

There was a large disparity between rural and urban areas, with almost a third (32%) of households living in rural areas using a solid fuel or oil fired heating system to heat their homes, compared with just 0.7% of households living in an urban area. 

Owner occupiers were more likely to have a solid fuel or oil fired system (4%) than both private (2%) and social renters (0.7%), as well as older households in which the HRP was aged 50 to 64 years (5%) or 65 or over (4%) compared with younger households (0.6% to 2%); couples, both without (5%) and with (4%) dependent children compared with all other household types (1% to 2%).  

Gas fired system 

The opposite trend was seen for gas fired systems, where nine in ten households living in urban areas were more likely to have a gas fired system (90%) compared with rural areas (51%).  

Other differences included age of HRP, where gas was most prevalent in households where the HRP was 35 to 49 (89%) compared with younger and older age groups (85% to 86%). Moreover, couples and lone parents with dependent children (92% and 91%, respectively), as well as other multi-person households (92%) were more likely to use gas to heat their homes compared with couples with no dependent children (86%) and one person households (81%). 

Similar to solid or oil fired systems, owner occupiers (89%) were more likely to have a gas fired system compared with social (83%) and private (80%) renters.  

Solid fuel or oil fired heating systems were more likely to be in dwellings with owner occupiers, older households, couples and rural areas. 

Whereas, gas fired heating systems were more likely to be in dwellings with couples and lone parents with children, middle-aged households and urban areas.

8. Older heating systems

For this analysis, old heating systems are considered to be more than 12 years old. Typically, domestic boilers should last between 10 and 15 years, provided they have been serviced and maintained correctly. However, after this time they are likely to become less efficient, costing more to run and harming the environment. 

In 2023-24, around 6.4 million households or just over a quarter (26%) lived in homes with a primary heating system that was more than 12 years old. Around 13 million households (52%) lived in homes with a primary heating system that was between 3 and 12 years old, Annex Table 4.  

Around a third of private renters had a primary heating system that was more than 12 years old (31%) compared to around a quarter of social renters and owner occupiers (26% and 25%, respectively). Owner occupiers were more likely to have a primary heating system that was less than 3 years old (24%) compared to both social and private renters (20% and 16%, respectively).  

Older households, where the HRP was aged 65 or over, were more likely to have older heating systems (29%) than younger HRP households (24 to 26%), and households where at least one occupant had a long-term illness or disability were more likely to have an older heating system (27%) compared to other households (25%).  

One person households and other multi-person households were more likely to have the oldest heating systems (30% and 28%, respectively) than couples and lone parents with dependent children (both 23%). Around a third of households living in rural areas had a heating system over 12 years old (32%) compared with around a quarter of households in urban areas (26%), suggesting greater opportunities in rural areas for installing heat pumps as part of general heating replacement.  

Private renters, older households, one person households and other multi-person households and those living in rural dwellings were more likely to have an older heating system (older than 12 years old).