• Bill savings are expected from home upgrades, but are not enough to spur action on their own, according to survey of 4,000 UK homeowners 

• Benefits such as comfort outperform the prospect of bill savings in persuading people to upgrade their home’s energy efficiency 

15 November 2025, London: Comfort and a sense of control over one’s home are stronger motivations in homeowners’ decisions to undertake energy efficiency upgrades than reducing bills, a new report commissioned by The MCS Foundation has shown.  

Researchers from polling firm Public First conducted a nationally-representative survey of 4,000 households to establish their openness to home energy upgrades and their motivations for wanting to improve their home’s energy efficiency. Reducing bills was cited as the main motivator for most respondents, with nearly 60% of respondents stating that this was their main motivator across a range of energy efficiency upgrades, including heat pumps, insulation, installing a smart meter, and solar panels.  

However, when different messages – including on improving comfort, increasing control over one’s home environment, availability of Government grants, and concern about climate change – were tested alongside messages about reducing bills, it was not the promise of lower bills that proved most likely to motivate people to undertake energy efficiency upgrades. Contrary to respondents’ statements, the availability of grants and the promise of increased comfort emerged as the most effective messages in persuading people to undertake upgrades, with lower bills being a significantly lower motivator. This is based on an “uplift score” assigned by the researchers according to how effective different message groups were. 

Nevertheless, reducing energy bills is not an insignificant factor. Most people see lower bills as a given for energy efficiency upgrades. While it may not be the factor that ultimately motivates them to go ahead with work, most people would not even consider upgrades without assurance that their bills will be reduced. 

Garry Felgate, Chief Executive of The MCS Foundation, which commissioned the research, said, “We often hear that cost is the biggest barrier to people installing a heat pump or making other energy efficiency upgrades to their homes. And yes, cost is a consideration, but this research shows that other factors such as perceptions of comfort and sense of control over one’s own home are more important when it comes to making decisions about home upgrades.  

“This research should provide a prompt to Government, charities, and companies to think about how they present the transition to more energy efficient homes when speaking to homeowners. Instead of focusing only on cost, we should also be communicating the wider benefits of the shift to clean heating, solar panels, and better insulation.” 

Ines Wittke, Senior Policy Manager in the Energy and Environment Practice at Public First, and lead author of the report, said “To make the Government’s Warm Homes Plan a success, the narrative needs to move beyond simply costs to what really matters in people’s homes: comfort and security.  

“For too long, the Government and industry have marketed energy efficiency upgrades to the public simply as a way to cut bills. While cheaper bills undoubtedly matter to consumers, our research shows there are other important drivers of change when it comes to people upgrading their properties.”