Heat Pumps Today

12 The UK is already on its way to reaching its sustainability goals – with the biggest target being to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The pledge was made three years ago, and the challenge of decarbonising heating and hot water production has since become a prominent part of reducing energy use in the country. Achieving net-zero will be spurred on by the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme This is because heating and hot water make a significant contribution to a building’s emissions. In fact, they create over a third (38%) of the total carbon emissions in the UK. Luckily, the technology to heat buildings in a more energy ecient, renewable way is already available - in the form of heat pumps. To encourage uptake of these types of renewable technologies, the government has tried various incentives – the most recent of which is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), first announced last year. Getting to zero carbon with renewable heating The Boiler Upgrade Scheme will make heat pumps more accessible for UK homeowners, which will in turn help the country to move away from gas and oil and towards more renewable forms of heat. June | July 2022 B O I L E R U P G R A D E S C H E M E Russell Dean By Russell Dean, Head of Residential Heating and Ventilation at Mitsubishi Electric The reason this is so important is that heat pumps have the potential to deliver CO 2 savings of up to 70% compared to conventional electric heating, and up to 65% compared to an A-rated gas boiler. Though these statistics can vary depending on the time of year and type of heat pump, around 66% of the energy needed to heat buildings with heat pumps comes from natural sources. The other 34% is derived from electricity which, if sourced from sustainable sources such as solar or wind, reduces the carbon impact of a heat pump to zero. However, the Climate Change Committee has estimated that 19 million heat pumps will need to be installed by 2050, in order to reach the net-zero goal. This means that it is critical for heat pump uptake to be increased, and for them to become the first choice for building managers planning renovations or new builds, as they are designed for both retrofitting and installation in new property. With the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme, consumers will be able to support this goal and make more environmentally friendly decisions when it comes to heat and hot water.