Heat Pump and Solar Sign-Ups Surge: E.ON Next Data

E.ON Next says household heat pump and solar sign-ups have more than doubled compared with a year ago: heat pump sign-ups are up 154% and solar sign-ups up 145%, as households look for ways to cut bills before winter. The figures come from an E.ON Next press release dated 15 October 2026 (E.ON Next). They are company data, but they line up with what the wider market is showing.

What E.ON Next reported

Sign-ups roughly 2.5 times higher. E.ON Next puts the year-on-year rise at 154% for heat pumps and 145% for solar. It does not publish the underlying number of customers, so the percentages show direction rather than scale, and a jump from a small base can look dramatic (E.ON Next).

A record Boiler Upgrade Scheme month. The release also cites government figures showing August 2026 was a record month for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, with heat pump grant payments up 40% year on year. We have not been able to confirm that figure against the published DESNZ spreadsheet, so treat it as E.ON's reading of the data (E.ON Next). For how the grant works today, see our Boiler Upgrade Scheme update.

A promotion timed to National Heat Pump Week. For National Heat Pump Week (12–16 October), E.ON Next is offering eligible customers £500 off a Worcester Bosch air source heat pump. The offer runs from 12 October to 1 November 2026, with purchases to be completed by 1 December 2026, and terms apply (E.ON Next). It is a supplier promotion, so compare it against independent quotes before committing.

The solar-and-battery tariff behind the headline

E.ON also highlights its Next Optimise tariff, aimed at homes with solar and battery storage. It charges the battery when wholesale prices are low and exports when they are high. E.ON says this can save up to £637 a year, but that is a simulated example for a single East Midlands property, not a typical result. Separately, it says customers on Next Smart Saver have saved an estimated £3.2 million by shifting usage to cheaper times of day, as of 2 September 2026 (E.ON Next). Our own look at the tariff is in E.ON Next Optimise and the Amber tariff, and the general mechanics are covered in time-of-use tariffs for solar owners.

Does the wider market agree?

Solar and batteries, yes. MCS data for the first half of 2026 shows about 210,000 certified installations, up 17% on the previous first-half record. Solar was almost 150,000 of those, up 14% on the same period of 2025, and batteries reached 36,000, nearly double the 2025 level (New Energy Weekly). Government data reported by Solar Power Portal shows 291,000 new solar PV installations in the 12 months to August 2026, the most in any 12-month period since 2012 (Solar Power Portal). We unpack that in our write-up of the installation record.

Heat pumps, it depends where you look. The same MCS analysis shows certified heat pump installations down 17% year on year in the first half. The Heat Pump Association links that to the closure of the Energy Company Obligation and slower activity under the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, noting that three quarters of recorded heat pump installations were government-supported. Its own sales data shows space-heating heat pump sales up 2%, with new-build installations up 23%, so the decline appears concentrated in the retrofit segment (New Energy Weekly). A surge in sign-ups with a supplier is not the same as a surge in completed installations, and the two datasets are measuring different things.

What it means if you are thinking of going solar

Sign-up growth is a demand signal, not a recommendation. Rising demand can stretch installer lead times in the run-up to winter, so it is worth getting several quotes from MCS-certified installers and checking each one against our guide to how to choose a solar installer. If a battery is on your list, home battery installation explains what the work involves.

The same caution applies to supplier bundles: a headline saving such as the £637 simulation depends on your tariff, system size, battery capacity and usage. Work from your own half-hourly data where you can, and treat the figures above as an indication of market direction.

Heat pump running costs matter as much as the grant. If you are weighing a heat pump alongside solar, our heat pump running costs guide explains how to judge the monthly bill, not just the upfront price.