Air source heat pumps being given the cold shoulder
The Mail Online: This Is Money published an article about air source heat pumps this morning and it has been bugging me since reading it. You can read the full article here : https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-11830589/How-heat-pumps-leave-homes-cold-owners-having-ripped-out.html
What the article fails to mention is that air source heat pumps were never meant to be a money-saving scheme. They are a tool in our nation’s belt to help us decarbonise, move away from our reliance on fossil fuels and progress towards net zero.
In the article, Bill has clearly done his research on the cost comparisons between running a gas boiler and an air source heat pump and knows when he is saving money and when the heat pump is costing him more than a gas boiler. It is important to remember that the UK is largely reliant on importing gas, but we are well positioned to increase our electricity generation through renewables. Increased production of renewable energy in the UK, and an improved national grid that enables us to store our energy better, should help reduce the cost of our electricity. Although Bill’s bills are currently higher than if he had a gas boiler when the temperature drops below 5 degrees, this may not always be the case.
I suspect that the problematic air source heat pumps described in the article were not adequately sized or appropriately designed for the properties in the first place. A suitably sized heat pump should not leave a homeowner with ‘tepid baths or showers’ like poor Dilys had to suffer. I think that most of us would agree with her when she says, ‘I prefer being kept warm when a gale is blowing outside’ and an adequately sized and properly designed air source heat pump system should be able to provide plenty of hot water and enough heat to keep you cosy. In a separate online article, The Eco Experts compare air source heat pumps across Europe, and top of the table comes Norway (with 1 heat pump for every 4 people), followed by Sweden and Finland. If heat pumps can work successfully in Scandinavia, then why is the UK having such a hard time with them? It is not down to climate. It is down to poor designs and installations in unsuitable buildings.
https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/heat-pumps/top-countries
The article in This Is Money does state that ‘Heat pumps, typically …perform poorly…if a home is inadequately insulated or the radiators are not big enough to give off sufficient heat.’ Apart from Dilys’ new build, the houses that are mentioned in the article were most likely unsuitable for an air source heat pump in the first place. Bungalows like Chris’ have larger heat loss perimeters than, say, a terraced house with the same floor space, therefore they need to have better insulated walls and ceilings to retain the same amount of heat. Georgian houses like Christine and Alan’s were typically built with solid brick walls with no insulation. Georgian houses were not built to modern air-tightness standards and so they are often draughty, further adding to heat loss problems. The real issue here is not the heat pumps – it is the fact that the UK has some incredibly poor housing stock and we have buried our heads in the sand about improving their efficiency for generations. Our house-proud nation has been renovating homes to make them look more beautiful without giving a second thought to how we can make them function better and be more energy efficient.
I agree with This Is Money with regards to the misselling of heat pumps being an issue – but not by the government. There are many excellent companies out there designing and installing air source heat pumps across the nation. There are also companies out there trying to make a quick buck and doing poor designs and installations, leaving homeowners out of pocket and in uncomfortable living situations. In the not-too-distant past I was offered a ‘great deal’ by an air source heat pump and solar supplier. I only had to pay 25% of the installation costs upfront. I questioned the so-called designer (salesperson) about whether my house was suitable for an air source heat pump given that I had recommendations on my EPC for cavity wall insulation. His response was less than favourable, stating that the government were so desperate to get the units in that they didn’t check the paperwork and that the surveyors could say that we had the insulation so we could get the grant. This is wrong for so many reasons. The stipulations that a house needs to be sufficiently airtight and insulated for an air source heat pump to be installed is not because the government wants you to pay more for the job – it is because air source heat pumps are not appropriate for poorly insulated, draughty houses. Sadly, that could describe a huge percentage of the UKs housing stock. It also highlights that despite the government's best efforts to safeguard the sector, there will always be people ready to abuse the system. This further emphasises the need for a strong market of independent heat pump assessors and designers that are not driven by sales targets or being pressured by companies to push inappropriate jobs through to make another sale.
Air source heat pumps are not a magic bullet and they are not suitable for all homes, but they are a good piece of kit when designed and installed correctly and can help our country move towards a brighter, greener future.
If you would like independent, impartial advice on whether your house is suitable for an air source heat pump or solar panels without the waffle and the sales pitch then get in touch.