It’s no wonder that uptake on heat pumps in the United Kingdom has been so much lower than its close neighbours.
In northern climates, houses need to be adequately insulated for a heat pump to have any hope of being effective1. This is especially true in the United Kingdom, where homes are poorly insulated compared with those in countries in Europe and Scandinavia. UK homes are also older2.
An article has just been published that helps to put the insulation issue in context. The author, Dr. Sohail Ahmad, studied available academic and ‘grey’ literature about heat pumps. Inadequate insulation is an issue: there are also other factors that could be just as big or bigger. Here are two examples:
- The energy tax structure in the UK actively discourages switching to electric heating.
- The government’s financial incentive program has discouraged businesses from training and retaining workers who can install heat pumps.
A good thing about this article is that the problems aren’t insurmountable. Ahmad provides ways to deal with each issue. The findings will be very useful for tweaking the heat pump programs in the UK so that they can all head in the same direction. Ahmad’s report is timely because, with the current incentive structure, energy businesses are recommending that customers install oil or gas fired boilers rather than heat pumps.
The findings of the report are also helpful for people other jurisdictions who are looking for guidance in designing and implementing programs to reduce consumption of greenhouse gases and carbon emissions.
Ahmad’s report is posted at the UK Collaborative Centre For Housing Evidence: Motivations And Barriers Associated With Adopting Domestic Heat Pumps In The UK
