Misinformation surrounding heat pumps could hinder installation targets

The energy minister has accused ‘vested interests’ of ‘funding campaigns of misinformation’ on heat pumps despite them being recommended to make homes more energy efficient.

Back in 2021 the UK government set out plans to offer £5,000 grants to help 90,0000 households install home heat pumps, and other low-carbon heating systems, over the next three years as part of its plan to cut Britain’s reliance on fossil fuel heating.

However, in a recent discussion with Tom Heap – the presenter of The Climate Show – energy minister Lord Callanan explained that a vast number of ‘people have a vested interest in maintaining our current supplies of gas boilers and the like’.

Against this backdrop, Tom has explored all the potential issues surrounding heat pumps, machines that run on electricity rather than gas, and spoke to installers, industry insiders and ministers to confirm or debunk them.

Within this particular episode of The Climate Show, Tom visited a home in surrey where a gas boiler was being replaced for a heat pump. After the government grant, the cost of the pump, water tank, new radiators and extra insulation totalled at £6,500 – a price that is out of reach for many, especially considering the UK is still in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

As the cost of installing a heat pump is so high it has caused many to reject the idea. Mike Foster from the Energy and Utilities Alliance, a trade body which represents gas boiler companies and lobbies on their behalf, said: ‘If we alienate the consumer on the journey to net zero, my fear and the fear of people in organisations like mine is that we’ll fail to get to net zero, and that will be the biggest crime.’

In spite of this, Lord Callahan has claimed the cost of swapping gas for heat pumps is already coming down. He said: ‘Fairly soon, as prices come down, the installation routine becomes more efficient, the prices will be very low.’

The UK had a record year for heat pump installations last year, with 35,000 put into our homes. But that’s still a fraction of the 600,000 a year the government is targeting by 2028.

Another concern surrounding heat pumps is that they don’t work as well in cold weather. However, the technologies are very common in Scandinavian countries. In Sweden they make up more than half of all home heating systems.

‘In Sweden, heat pumps have been powering our homes for decades and work perfectly well in extremely cold climates,’ Daniel Särefjord, Aira UK CEO said. ‘At Aira, we understand that heat pumps are still a relatively new technology for UK households, with 1% penetration across the country, but we’re working hard to break through the misinformation and to educate the public about the cost saving and environmental benefits of heat pumps.’

Daniel added: ‘Government research shows that nearly every UK home is suitable for a heat pump – a clean energy solution that is 4x more efficient than a gas boiler and will lower energy bills by 25% and household carbon emissions by at least 75%.

‘That’s why we’re keen to meet as many people as we can, to help guide well-informed decision making when it comes to upgrading or replacing a fossil fuel-based boiler with an alternative solution.’

Image: Shutterstock 

More on this topic:

The show must go on: Housebuilders challenge on heat pumps to continue

Government grant has caused heat pump applications to surge