Heat Pumps Today

CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai www.acrjournal.uk/heat-pumps 11 H P A Focussing on heat pumps and their role in net zero, the HPA has recently published a weighty and evidence-based submission to the Net Zero review, which highlights independent sources validating that the switch to heat pumps over the next 10-15 years yields the lowest-cost pathway to net zero. Whilst acknowledging there remains an up-front cost dierence, the running cost of heat pumps are becoming relatively attractive compared to boilers. As the cost ratio between gas and electricity aligns, the overall running costs of a well-specified and installed heat pump costs the same or less than a traditional gas boiler. Well-performing heat pump systems can easily deliver SCOPs of 3.5 and above. As the chart shows, heat pumps can oer significant savings compared to fossil fuel heating looking at the current price caps in the market, savings can be made with a SCOP as low as 2.8. Therefore, consumers can save hundreds of pounds a year compared to a high temperature system. The energy savings above may not always directly justify a consumer’s outlay for a heat pump compared to a traditional boiler. However, in cases where a consumer does not see a compelling financial reason to invest in a heat pump, extensive Info box The Heat Pump Association welcomes comments and thoughts on its views – please send them to media@heatpumps.org.uk analysis points to heat pumps being the cheapest long-term option to society for heat decarbonisation once carbon costs are also included. This is because the next best options, to achieve the same carbon saving, are more expensive. The consumer is not directly exposed to these carbon costs, but society (and therefore the consumer, as part of the population overall) pays for them in the end – whether that be through energy bills, taxes, or other increased costs due to government policy of one form or another. Economics improve further The HPA’s own initial findings, to be published soon, indicate that once these carbon savings are included, the economics of a heat pump will improve even further than the above reference suggests, due to these recent price rises alone. This makes a strong case for a combination of regulation and subsidy to help this transition happen. We need the UK Government to clarify in legislation, a precise date for the final phase-out of the sale of new fossil fuel boilers. Experience from the 2005 ban on non-condensing boilers suggests once this is written into law, industry will be eective at evolving the market, securing necessary investment, and arranging the installer training and supply chain needed to make the transition happen. More details on the HPA’s proposed policy interventions, including those aecting installers, are published on the HPA’s website. To conclude, heat pumps are available now for mass-market deployment, are tried and tested technology, and already mass- produced for a worldwide market that has already installed around 190 million units. They are, in the view of several peer-reviewed independent academics, the lowest cost decarbonisation option for heating, and the transition can absolutely happen over the next decade with the right supporting policies in place.