Why is the UK so Cold on Heat Pumps?

Posted by LABC Warranty on 23rd August 2022 -

In Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, the writer debuts a quote that has endured the decades: “If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich?”

Today, we’re asking a similar question, only turning our attention to heat pumps. If heat pumps are so good, why aren’t they everywhere?

The time seems right…

Heat pumps tempt us with a very tantalising offer – lower cost, lower carbon heating and hot water that doesn’t involve burning gas.

They even woo us with the exciting possibility of energy independence for homes with enough solar panels, or other self-generation technology.

Heat pumps don’t directly burn fossil fuels to heat a home and can be run on renewable energies – whether you buy your electricity from a renewables provider or choose to make your own.

Within the coming decade (assuming the current commitments are kept), it won’t be possible to install a gas boiler in a new home. And not long after that, existing homes won’t be able to replace their current gas boilers.

The legislative changes will, presumably, drive take-up, but adoption has been slow out of the gate to adapt to the upcoming legal obligations. Many homes are still being built with gas boilers.

…but we’re lagging behind our neighbours

Our colleagues on the continent are racing ahead on the installation of heat pumps. The UK has some of the lowest heat pump sales of any country, according to data from 2021.

Countries with smaller populations, like Latvia, Norway, Poland, and Estonia are outpacing us, installing heat pumps up to thirty-two times more often than the UK.

At face value, heat pumps would seem like a natural fit for the UK’s largely temperate climate, so why haven’t they taken off yet?

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