ACR Journal

February | March 2021 HEAT PUMPS 38 Volume 7 No.2 Back in November, the Prime Minister outlined his Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, aiming to create and support up to 250,000 British jobs, bolstering the UK’s commitment to achieving net zero by 2050. Part of this plan is to focus on homes and public buildings: Making homes, schools and hospitals greener, warmer and more energy e„cient, whilst creating 50,000 jobs by 2030, and a target to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028. After all this time, it is fantastic to see heat pumps finally and firmly on the agenda as part of the country’s plan to cut carbon emissions and energy use. When we started Finn Geotherm 15 years ago, we were installing systems of around 10kW, at a time when the level of awareness and understanding of the Market finally hotting up for renewables Guy Ransom, Commercial Director of leading heat pump installer Finn Geotherm, looks at the changing landscape for heat pumps as the Government now finally puts the systems top of the list for heating in a bid to cut UK carbon emissions. systems was very low. It’s always been a frustration of mine how slow the uptake of heat pumps has been in the UK, especially when compared to countries such as Finland, which is home to Lampoassa – the manufacturer of our heat pumps. Heat Pumps installed for decades There, they have been using heat pumps to heat homes, and indeed whole towns, for decades. We also struggled to explain that the technology isn’t new – considering the first large scale heat pump was actually installed in the UK in 1945. It’s not been an easy journey, but the tide has begun to turn. Earlier this year, Finn Geotherm completed its largest project to date – a six-phase 1.1mW district heating system in Felixstowe. Domestic heat pump installations have continued to grow steadily but it’s the commercial side which has really taken o˜ in recent years. The Prime Minister’s plan to heat public buildings with heat pumps is an idea we’ve been trying to push for a long time and, thanks to some forward-thinking organisations, we have completed several installations in buildings such as schools, village halls, care homes and commercial glass houses. The brilliant way that heat pumps work means they are ideally suited for these buildings which require constant temperature all year round. The low level, steady state heating generated by a heat pump is also perfect for environments where scalding hot radiators and water from the taps can create a hazard – for example junior schools. It’s a great solution, but from