In its Seventh Carbon Budget, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) identified that to meet our carbon targets, the annual rate of heat pump installations in existing residential properties must increase from 60,000 in 2023 to nearly 450,000 by 2030, and around 1.5 million by 2035.
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said:
“Ramping up heat pump installations is going to be difficult, but we know what has to be done. The Government must redouble its efforts to ensure the grid can facilitate installs and that all varieties of heat pump technology now receive support across all government funding and policies.”
There are several types of heat pumps, but the most appropriate and affordable are air source heat pumps (ASHPs). However, only one type of ASHP, a hydronic version which heats water for radiators or underfloor heating, has been supported by taxpayer funding, manufacturer penalties for low sales, and Building Regulations. Another type, air-to-air heat pumps, which use hot or cool air to keep buildings comfortable, is more efficient than hydronic but typically needs a separate hot water solution.
The limitation of not naturally having hot water as part of installs is not a problem in Europe, where across sixteen EU nations, air to air heat pumps make up 80% of the newly installed market, with air to water accounting for 17%. Alternative solutions for hot water could be thermal batteries and immersion heaters, and recent manufacturer innovations have seen air to air also provide hot water in the same way as a hydronic system.
Great strides are being made by the heat pump industry to increase the number of hydronic installers, of which there are only a few thousand. Yet, there are already over 50,000 F-gas installers who are qualified to install the air-to-air variety.
Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy and Market Insight at the NFB, added:
“The UK has a blind spot to air-to-air heat pumps. Although civil servants have recently published an excellent report on their benefits, they remain poorly supported in practice. Overheating regulations, which oppose mechanical cooling, even hinder the technology from meeting Building Regulations on heating, cooling, and air quality.
Given that we have twenty-five times more installers for air-to-air heat pumps than air to water, and considering that air-to-air technology is more cost-effective, efficient, and quicker to install, the Government must rethink the approach taken by previous administration. Increasing electrification means more innovation and naturally assists other policy considerations, such as shifting levies from electric to gas, much easier to implement.