What Secondary Heating Behaviours Mean for ESG Practice in the UK Home Sector
Janet Ng, U.K. ESG Advocate
Understanding Secondary Heating Behaviours
As the UK marches toward its Net Zero 2050 target, the decarbonisation of domestic heating systems remains a key focus. Heating homes accounts for 17% of the UK’s carbon emissions, with the vast majority of households relying on fossil fuel-based systems such as natural gas (79%) (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2025). Decarbonising this sector is not just a matter of technology, it also requires understanding consumer behaviour. The recent report, Understanding Secondary Heating Behaviours (August 2025), provides some implications into how the use of secondary heating may intersect with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) considerations.
The Role of Secondary Heating in UK Homes
Secondary heating refers to supplementary systems such as electric fires, portable heaters, and log burners, used alongside primary heating systems like gas boilers. While secondary heating provides added warmth, flexibility, and comfort, it often creates greater energy consumption and emissions, especially when fossil-fuel-based systems are used (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2025).
The report found that secondary heating is often used to address the shortcomings of primary systems, which fail to meet four key consumer needs:
Keeping Warm: Many homes struggle to maintain desired temperatures due to poor insulation or ineffective heating systems.
Affordability: Rising energy costs have led some households to rely on perceived cheaper alternatives, such as electric blankets and portable heaters.
Flexibility: Households often need to heat specific spaces or for short durations, something secondary heating provides better than traditional systems.
Comfort and Aesthetics: Emotional factors like cosiness, togetherness, and even nostalgia drive the use of open fires and log burners.
The ESG Implications
From an ESG perspective, secondary heating behaviours highlight the interconnected challenges of environmental impact, social equity, and governance & policy challenges.
Environmental Impact: Secondary heating systems—especially those relying on fossil fuels—contribute to increased emissions. Open fires and log burners, for instance, release significant particulate matter, affecting both air quality and public health. Furthermore, the report mentions that the increased reliance on electricity-based systems during peak hours (5–10 pm) risks straining the national grid, especially as the UK transitions to electrified heating through heat pumps and electric vehicles (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2025).
Social Equity: The report identifies a “cost-constrained” consumer typology, where affordability is the top priority. For lower-income households, secondary heating often becomes a financial coping mechanism to offset the high running costs of primary systems. This raises concerns about energy poverty (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2025). Although the "Warm Homes Plan" fund, launching in April 2025, offers government-supported energy upgrades for low-income households, it is limited to England (Gov UK, 2025).
Governance and Policy Challenges: The findings underscore the need for more targeted policies to ensure that the transition to low-carbon heating systems, like heat pumps, is both equitable and effective. While heat pumps promise efficiency, participants expressed skepticism about their ability to meet needs like affordability or rapid heating. This reveals a gap in consumer education and policy design, as many remain unfamiliar with how heat pumps operate (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2025).
The UK’s journey to decarbonising domestic heating is as much about people as it is about technology. The Understanding Secondary Heating Behaviours report reveals critical insights into why households rely on secondary heating and how these behaviours intersect with broader ESG priorities. By addressing the problem of energy poverty and raising consumer awareness about low-carbon alternatives, decarbonising domestic heating systems may help progress toward achieving the Net Zero 2050 target.
References:
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2025. Understanding secondary heating behaviours Research findings (RAF067/2324). [Online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6889c9076478525675738fa5/secondary-heating-behaviours.pdf [Accessed 1 August 2025].
Gov UK, 2025. Apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant to improve a home. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/apply-warm-homes-local-grant [Accessed 4 August 2025].
(Date: 11th August, 2025)
