Key Highlights
- In 2022, the European Union in particular will place increased emphasis on energy security-related policy issues in addition to climate change.
- BESA has urged UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to make heat pump investments worth £6 billion a top priority.
- BESA cited IPPR research, which pushed the government to allocate additional funding for energy efficiency in infrastructure.
- Britons will pay the same or no more than the price of a standard gas boiler for a new heat pump from Octopus Energy.
- The government announced the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) along with a commitment to ban gas boilers from new construction by 2025.
Over the past few years, policy support for heat pumps as a necessary technology for heat decarbonisation has increased in different nations. In various nations, several heat pump market support strategies are now being created.
In addition to addressing climate change, the European Union in particular is focusing more on policy considerations related to energy security in 2022. Another factor driving adoption is the growing demand for space cooling, which reversible heat pumps provide. Heat pumps can provide usable heat using one-third to one-fifth of the electricity required by traditional electric equipment by using electricity to capture ambient heat from the ground, water, or air.
The United Kingdom is one of the countries that aims to invest in heat pumps.
United Kingdom’s heat pump pledge
BESA has recently encouraged the UK's Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to prioritise £6bn in heat pump investment to help address the country's most pressing problems, including energy insecurity, high living costs, and climate change. More immediate actions for home decarbonisation through heat pumps and energy efficiency by 2025 are being requested.
Providing the Tory party retains power following the election, the Chancellor has pledged £6 billion to fund these initiatives starting in 2025. The government's goals for low-carbon heating, according to BESA, can be met while simultaneously addressing the government's current energy cost concerns.
In a statement, BESA referenced research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), which urged the government to provide more immediate funds to increase the energy efficiency of homes and other structures on a large scale. The think tank also discovered that the UK needs an additional £3.4 billion in subsidies to be implemented for the government to achieve its goal of installing a minimum of 600,000 heat pumps annually starting in 2028.
Octopus Energy’s heat pump breakthrough
Heat pumps, which are three to four times more energy efficient than the best boilers, are predicted to reduce home energy costs in addition to lowering the UK's costly gas imports.
A new heat pump from Octopus Energy will cost Britons the same as a regular gas boiler, if not less. British Gas and the green energy company, Octopus Energy, are now engaged in a price war as key suppliers try to reduce installation costs in the UK as it rushes to replace gas boilers with low-carbon alternatives.
With these, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) was introduced by the government, coupled with a pledge to outlaw gas boilers in new construction by 2025. This is an effort to hasten the adoption of heat pumps as part of the UK's ambition to stop relying on costly gas and achieve net zero.
In an effort to meet decarbonization goals, policy support for heat pumps is rising quickly. The efficiency of heat pumps can depend on heat distribution. Operating temperatures might not be appropriate for all the current heat pump systems. Through thorough renovation packages, policy support should account for both building and heat distribution system adjustments. This will allow the use of heat pumps in existing structures.
Join All-Energy & Dcarbonise and be present on the Heat Decarbonisation Theatre, a dedicated show floor for all heat decarbonisation innovations. Also, exhibitors providing solutions and sessions for the whole renewable and low carbon industry will be present at the event.
Whether you have previously participated in All-Energy & Dcarbonise, or are joining us for the first time, we look forward to seeing you in Glasgow in May 10-11, 2023