New incentives to be rolled out to encourage heat pump take-up

The Government have announced new proposals aimed at helping more homes and businesses move away from fossil fuels.

The proposals form part of the government’s drive to decarbonise the nation’s heating, with more than £81 million in vouchers already issued to customers under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Proposed measures could mean varying the levels of grants that are made available, depending on the customer’s property type or existing fuel source.

A heat pump takes heat at a low temperature from the air or ground, increases it to a higher temperature, before transferring the heat into homes for heating and hot water. This technology is significantly more efficient than traditional boilers and uses cleaner electricity rather than fossil fuels – helping to reduce the carbon footprint of a home.

EDF recently surveyed 2,000 homeowners across the UK with a total household income of £40,000 or more and found that almost half (49%) said they were likely to make the switch in the future. Whilst 54% said they would be likely to switch to a heat pump within the next two years if possible and 79% would consider it within the next five years.

The main barrier to enthusiasm for heat pumps is lack of knowledge, as the survey found that 23% of people surveyed did not know what they are or how they work.

Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said:  ‘Heat pumps are a vital tool in cutting the carbon emissions from people heating their homes, while also helping to drive down costs and boosting our energy security.

‘While a heat pump can be installed for a similar price to installing a gas boiler, the support we’ve put in place means it is an option for more and more households.

‘Today’s changes go even further and will mean even more people could benefit from making the switch, offering them the option for a low-emission, low-cost form of heating their homes.’

Consumer satisfaction is also high, with 92% of surveyed heat pump owners saying they were highly satisfied with the technology after two winters, in an evaluation of the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme, which was replaced by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.