IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i24p16799-d1003637.html

Behavioural Change as a Domestic Heat Pump Performance Driver: Insights on the Influence of Feedback Systems from Multiple Case Studies in the UK

Author

Listed:
  • Eleni Oikonomou

    (UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, London WC1H 0NN, UK)

  • Nici Zimmermann

    (UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, London WC1H 0NN, UK)

  • Michael Davies

    (UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, London WC1H 0NN, UK)

  • Tadj Oreszczyn

    (UCL Energy Institute, London WC1B 5BP, UK)

Abstract

Heat pumps (HPs) are seen as an increasingly important technology able to contribute significantly towards the decarbonisation of the domestic stock in the UK. However, there appears to be a performance gap between predicted and real-life HP performance, with several studies highlighting the need to include the HP’s interaction with users when examining their performance. This study examines the role of user behaviour in mitigating this performance gap from a systems perspective. A sample of 21 case studies was selected from 700 domestic HPs monitored across the UK via the government’s Renewable Heat Premium Payment Scheme for the collection of qualitative and quantitative socio-technical data. The application of systems thinking facilitated the identification of the underlying interactions between the HP system and its users. The systems analysis revealed that HP performance relies on complex socio-technical system interactions, including behavioural patterns, and that enabling feedback information processes can have a significant impact on user behaviour. The study enabled a deeper perspective on performance influencers relating to behavioural patterns and achieved new insights into the requirements for well-performing HPs. These findings have important implications for policy makers, installers and manufacturers of HP systems and their users.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleni Oikonomou & Nici Zimmermann & Michael Davies & Tadj Oreszczyn, 2022. "Behavioural Change as a Domestic Heat Pump Performance Driver: Insights on the Influence of Feedback Systems from Multiple Case Studies in the UK," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-18, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:24:p:16799-:d:1003637
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16799/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16799/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carroll, P. & Chesser, M. & Lyons, P., 2020. "Air Source Heat Pumps field studies: A systematic literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Potthoff, Ugne & Brudermueller, Tobias & Hopf, Konstantin & Wortmann, Felix, 2025. "Optimization of heating curves for heat pumps in operation: Outdoor temperature ranges for energy-efficient heating curve shifts," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 389(C).
    2. Brudermueller, Tobias & Kreft, Markus & Fleisch, Elgar & Staake, Thorsten, 2023. "Large-scale monitoring of residential heat pump cycling using smart meter data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 350(C).
    3. Tobias Brudermueller & Ugne Potthoff & Elgar Fleisch & Felix Wortmann & Thorsten Staake, 2025. "Estimation of energy efficiency of heat pumps in residential buildings using real operation data," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Peacock, Malcolm & Fragaki, Aikaterini & Matuszewski, Bogdan J, 2023. "The impact of heat electrification on the seasonal and interannual electricity demand of Great Britain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 337(C).
    2. Giovanni Murano & Francesca Caffari & Nicolandrea Calabrese, 2024. "Energy Potential of Existing Reversible Air-to-Air Heat Pumps for Residential Heating," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-23, July.
    3. Dorota Chwieduk & Bartosz Chwieduk, 2023. "Application of Heat Pumps in New Housing Estates in Cities Suburbs as an Means of Energy Transformation in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-19, April.
    4. Zhan, Chenxuan & Xu, Yi & Fan, Jianhua & Gao, Meng & Kong, Weiqiang & Wu, Jiani & Wang, Dengjia & Tian, Zhiyong, 2025. "Validation and optimization of a solar heating plant with a large-scale heat pump," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    5. Ziółkowski, Paweł & Witanowski, Łukasz & Klonowicz, Piotr & Mikielewicz, Dariusz, 2024. "High-speed multi-stage gas-steam turbine with flow bleeding in a novel thermodynamic cycle for decarbonizing power generation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(PB).
    6. Tobias Brudermueller & Ugne Potthoff & Elgar Fleisch & Felix Wortmann & Thorsten Staake, 2025. "Estimation of energy efficiency of heat pumps in residential buildings using real operation data," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, December.
    7. James Bambara & Andreas K. Athienitis & Ursula Eicker, 2021. "Decarbonizing Local Mobility and Greenhouse Agriculture through Residential Building Energy Upgrades: A Case Study for Québec," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-31, October.
    8. Muhammad Abid & Neil Hewitt & Ming-Jun Huang & Christopher Wilson & Donal Cotter, 2021. "Performance Analysis of the Developed Air Source Heat Pump System at Low-to-Medium and High Supply Temperatures for Irish Housing Stock Heat Load Applications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-31, October.
    9. Petrucci, Andrea & Ayevide, Follivi Kloutse & Buonomano, Annamaria & Athienitis, Andreas, 2023. "Development of energy aggregators for virtual communities: The energy efficiency-flexibility nexus for demand response," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    10. Zhang, Yi & Ding, Weijing & Zhang, Yuchun & Shi, Junrui & Zhang, Guanmin & Zhou, Dan, 2026. "Frost-free air source heat pump employing liquid desiccant pre-dehumidification: Review, challenges, and prospects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 226(PC).
    11. Tomas Kropas & Giedrė Streckienė & Juozas Bielskus, 2021. "Experimental Investigation of Frost Formation Influence on an Air Source Heat Pump Evaporator," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-15, September.
    12. Adel Mottahedi & Farhang Sereshki & Mohammad Ataei & Ali Nouri Qarahasanlou & Abbas Barabadi, 2021. "The Resilience of Critical Infrastructure Systems: A Systematic Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-32, March.
    13. De Mel, Ishanki & Bierkens, Floris & Liu, Xinyao & Leach, Matthew & Chitnis, Mona & Liu, Lirong & Short, Michael, 2023. "A decision-support framework for residential heating decarbonisation policymaking," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    14. Chitchyan, Ruzanna, 2025. "Overcoming barriers to heat pump adoption among able-to-pay households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    15. Chae, Hobyung & Park, Beungyong & Kim, Eui-Jong & Nam, Yujin, 2025. "Assesment of the strategic transition from gas to electric heat pumps and policy implications for power reserve margins in South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    16. Jia, Zijiao & Li, Jinping & Zhai, Panpan & Novakovic, Vojislav & Cao, Yadong, 2025. "Comparative study on heating performance and economy of air source heat pump coupled with evacuated tube and flat plate collector respectively," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    17. di Filippo, Rocco & Maracchini, Gianluca & Albatici, Rossano & Di Maggio, Rosa & Bursi, Oreste S., 2025. "A novel prescriptive approach for buildings’ insulation design considering embodied carbon," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    18. Agata Ołtarzewska & Dorota Anna Krawczyk, 2021. "Simulation of the Use of Ground and Air Source Heat Pumps in Different Climatic Conditions on the Example of Selected Cities: Warsaw, Madrid, Riga, and Rome," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-11, October.
    19. Yingfeng Xiang & Mingwen Shi & Chuanzhen Li & Chao Zhu & Yifan Cao & Yangda Chen & Weijun Wu & Yapeng Li & Xuxin Guo & Xianpeng Sun, 2022. "Active Air-Source Heat Storage and Release System for Solar Greenhouses: Design and Performance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    20. Shafquat Rana & Joshua M. Pearce, 2025. "A Review of Phase-Change Material-Based Thermal Batteries for Sustainable Energy Storage of Solar Photovoltaic Systems Coupled to Heat Pumps in the Building Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-40, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:24:p:16799-:d:1003637. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.