UK Green Energy Digest: Heat Pump & Solar News — 11 Aug 2026

Three stories from the past week update the picture for UK homeowners weighing a heat pump, solar or a home battery: a record month for heat pump sales at one supplier, government-backed investment in UK-made solar-thermal panels, and a new home battery launching in the UK. Here's what changed, who it affects, and what to check before you act.

Heat pump sales hit a record at Octopus

Octopus Energy says July 2026 was its best-ever month for heat pump sales, with volumes 71% higher than July 2025 and its sixth consecutive month of growth, according to Octopus Energy's press release. These are Octopus's own sales figures rather than figures for the UK market as a whole.

Applications to the government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), which subsidises heat pump installations, are up 19% year-on-year, and the scheme has now supported more than 80,000 installations since launch. Typical Octopus customers pay around £3,000 to switch from an oil boiler and around £4,000 from gas, after the grant.

Octopus's figures — 94% of heat pumps cheaper to run than gas, saving Cosy-tariff customers an average of £227 a year — are modelled averages for its own Cosy-tariff customers, not a universal figure for every household or supplier.

The release also cites new-build adoption figures — almost 24% of new homes in England and over 30% in Wales — but these are drawn from a Regen tracker snapshot dated August 2025, not current 2026 data, so treat them as an older baseline rather than this month's picture.

If you're weighing a switch, compare heat pump running costs against a gas boiler, browse our heat pump guides, or model your own switching costs.

Great British Energy backs UK solar-thermal manufacturing

Great British Energy (GBE) has invested £7.5 million in Naked Energy, a UK company making solar-thermal panels, as part of a combined £8.875 million funding round with Barclays Climate Ventures, according to Great British Energy's announcement and Naked Energy's press release. Announced 6 August 2026 under GBE's "Energy Engineered in the UK" programme, the funding is expected to support up to 40 direct manufacturing jobs and around 100 indirect roles at a new UK facility.

Naked Energy's Virtu panels combine solar heat and electricity generation on one roof and, per the company, use around 85% of available roof space compared with roughly 50% for conventional tilted solar panels — a company figure, not an independently audited comparison. Existing installations include the British Library and the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon.

This is a separate scheme from GBE's solar partnership with schools, which is not a household grant. If you're considering solar generally, you can explore our solar panel guides or estimate your own solar savings.

Hinen launches its new A15 home battery in the UK

Hinen will unveil its A15 home battery for the UK market on 12 August 2026, according to the company's announcement. Each module holds 14.4 kWh (13.68 kWh usable), and the system can be expanded to 86.4 kWh across six units. Hinen describes an ultra-slim 180mm design, an IP65-rated enclosure, operation down to -20°C, more than 8,000 charge cycles and a 12-year warranty — manufacturer-stated specifications with no independent testing yet.

The launch will include a product demonstration, an app walkthrough, a live Q&A and early-bird offers. If you're shopping for a battery now, you can compare current UK home battery options or browse our battery storage guides.

What this means for your household

If a heat pump is on your mind, use our heat pump calculator to see your own numbers rather than relying on a single supplier's average, and check current Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility before you commit. For solar or battery storage, compare the available products and system sizes carefully, and speak with vetted UK installers about what suits your home.

Sources

Octopus Energy's press release on record heat pump sales

Great British Energy's announcement of its investment in Naked Energy

Naked Energy's press release on the funding round

Hinen's announcement of the A15 home battery for the UK market