How could air source heating be made available to everyone?

 

 

85% of UK homes still rely on natural gas.

How does air source heating work?

Air source heating works like a fridge in reverse, taking the air from outside your home and turning it into a liquid. That’s then heated and transferred to radiators and a hot water cylinder. Although they rely on electricity, they are highly energy-efficient. Many are also combined with a source of renewable energy such as solar thermal or solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.

“Energie Solutions became one of the UK’s first MCS (Micro Certification Scheme) accredited installers of solar PV systems in 2006, which quickly evolved into installing air source heating in 2012. The sector has experienced significant growth since then, but it is still a long way off what is needed to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions to Net Zero by 2050.

“The UK’s investment in renewable technology is still many years behind almost every country in Europe. In countries like Sweden, which started investing in these technologies far earlier, air and ground source heat pumps are common in many homes.

How can the UK bring air source heating to more homes?

1. Reduce the upfront cost of an air source heat pump

“There’s no two ways about it; compared to a gas boiler, installing an air source heat pump is expensive. That’s where the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) hasn’t been particularly helpful because the people who took advantage of the scheme were generally people who already had the money to invest. So, it’s good to see that the government has announced a new ‘Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), which offers anyone with a fossil fuel boiler £5,000 upfront towards the cost of an air source heat pump. That said, there’s still more that needs to be done to make them more affordable.

2. Improve regulation around air source heating

“Homeowners need to be able to make a well-informed decision, not just about the technology they are buying, but also about the company installing their air source heat pump. I see so many people who have been persuaded by a salesman who has knocked on their door, promising them maintenance-free heating and no more gas bills. Three months down the line their home has been damaged, they are cold, and they are paying huge electricity bills.

“Every company offering to install an air heat pump should be MCS accredited, although at the moment, not enough is being done to tackle companies who don’t follow the rules.

“Many companies will also outsource installations to subcontractors for very low fees that can’t possibly cover the cost of installing an air heat pump to a high standard. So, I’d always suggest doing your research on the company that will install your system.

3. Offer alternatives to misinformation

“Partly because so many systems are installed incorrectly, there is a lot of negativity around air source heat pumps. That ranges from people saying they’ll make your energy bills more expensive to non-existent requirements such as needing radiators as big as your wall. Although these claims are false, they are everywhere.

4. Do more to tackle a growing skills shortage

“The UK is not doing enough to maintain the knowledge and expertise needed to take air source heating to a larger market. We need to make sure a skilled workforce is coming through from colleges and do more to incentivise people to take up apprenticeships.

“Speaking from experience, there are so many barriers stopping companies from taking on an apprentice through a local college. We have successfully taken on people and taught them the trade, but it takes years before they learn all the skills they need.

“It’s all very well politicians making pledges around Net Zero and promising to replace gas boilers. But as the current workforce retires, we must have the skilled people needed to turn that into a reality.”

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