Analysts are urging the government to make pumps mandatory for all new homes and increase funding for existing facilities.
Studies show that the UK lags far behind France and other EU countries in the installation of heat pumps, with less than one tenth installed, despite a similar market.
Just 55,000 heat pumps were sold in the UK last year, compared to more than 620,000 in France. Twenty other European countries also have higher install rates than the UK.
Electric-powered heat pumps, which work the opposite of refrigerators, are seen as the most efficient way for the UK to transition to low-carbon heating and move away from the gas-fired boilers that heat most homes. Because natural gas prices are still high, heat pumps are cheaper to run than gas boilers but more expensive to install, and with further changes in the electricity market, heat pumps are likely to cost less.
At the current rate, it is almost impossible for the UK to meet the government’s target of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. However, analysts at the MCS charity, which approves the low-carbon certification standard, say preparations for it could create an additional 50,000 jobs, compared to about 2,000 currently employed in the industry.
Entitled “France and UK Heat Pump Implementation 2023″, the MCS report called on the government to make heat pump installations mandatory in all new homes, extend and expand subsidies for heat pump installations in existing homes, introduce a new lending scheme for homeowners and launch a nationwide advertising campaign explaining the heat pump and the incentives offered.
The report says the existing boiler retrofit program must be extended to be effective and ministers must introduce long-awaited future housing standards from 2025 and set a clear cut-off date for gas boiler sales.
David Cowdry, director of external relations at MCS, said: “Heat pumps are a very effective technology for reducing carbon emissions and energy bills, but the UK has so far underutilized their potential. While other countries such as France are on rise, the competition is on. A more comprehensive set of policies is needed to achieve the government’s goals.”
The UK heat pump market is expected to grow by around 40% by 2022, but from a very low baseline with just 1.9 heat pumps installed per 1,000 households last year compared to 20 heat pumps per 1,000 households in France and nearly 70 heat pumps. pumps. per 1000 households in Finland.
It is not too late for the government to hit its target, MCS said, noting that installations in France increased by 80% from 90,000 in 2018 to 175,000 in 2019 following the introduction of a subsidy scheme for all households.
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Jan Rosenov, European program director at the think tank Regulatory Assistance Project, said: “The world’s leading heat pump markets have one thing in common: a stable, well-defined policy and regulatory environment. It will follow, and the experience of other countries shows this very clearly. The UK has the potential to become a world leader in clean heating, but long-term strategies will be needed to stimulate consumer demand and expand the supply chain.”
A spokesman for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We are investing billions of dollars in energy efficiency across the country, with over £70 million worth of vouchers awarded to installers in the first year of the boiler retrofit programme. full confidence that to meet the goal of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, consumers can now install one at a price that is increasingly similar to a gas boiler.”