It is currently estimated that around 85 per cent of UK households use gas boilers, making it one of the most carbon-intensive sectors of the economy. With this in place, turning off fossil fuel heating with electric heat pumps and other low-carbon heating systems is the key to the UK’s plans to reach zero by the turn of the century. To this end, the UK Government is currently offering contributions to the initial capital expenditure for heat pumps, with a 000 5,000 discount on the cost and installation of an air-source heat pump and 6. 6,000 for ground-source heat pumps. However, the initial installation cost – which can exceed .000 10,000, compared to just 1.5 1,500–2,000 for a new gas boiler – is still a barrier for many potential users.
The government should improve the way it supports the absorption of the heat pump, said an expert (Image: Getty Images)
Heat pumps work like a cooler upside down, moving heat from the outside in (Image: Getty Images) Lee Hermitage – Honeywell Advanced Marketing Director – told Express.co.uk that some of the government’s heat pump initiatives are “very positive”. However, he added, “What the government could do more is look at the difference between gas pricing and electricity prices. “Right now, electricity is three times the cost of gas. “One third of this retail price is related to the environmental tax levied on it, which is not applied to gas in the same way.” “If they look at it and re-evaluate the way they apply this tax, it would further improve the return on investment. “This would make heat pumps much more attractive to the consumer, they would receive much faster damping – and I think you would increase adoption.” READ MORE: Energy crisis: UK concludes major gas deal to heat 4.5 million homes
It is estimated that around 85 per cent of households in the UK use gas boilers (Image: Getty Images) At the same time, the Hermitage explained, the government should consider further measures to better help consumers overcome the initial capital investment in heat pumps. He said: “λί 5,000 for a heat pump is good. “But I think there are other measures that could be taken, if possible. “You could almost imagine interest-free loan schemes and things like that reducing this initial expense, so that you can actually pay them off over a period of time. “Can I tell people who have trouble with energy bills that they have to spend – 10,000-12,000 on a heat pump? I think the answer is that you can not. “If the government is really serious about getting rid of carbon emissions, about reducing its dependence on Russian oil and gas, about actually eliminating fossil fuels – the government must support the people. “Currently […] The majority of consumers will not be able to spend this amount of money without the government offering either interest-free loans or increased subsidies. “It must be something that the government will face.”
The United Kingdom is going through a cost of living crisis (Image: Express.co.uk) Mr Hermitage also believes the government needs to improve the ways in which it attracts consumers with heat pumps and transmits the benefits. He said: “I think the consumer needs to be educated a lot more on this. “Industry can not be allowed to do that.” The key message the government needs to emphasize, Mr Hermitage believes, is the importance of returning the investment to a heat pump – which can offset more than the initial installation cost in the long run. He added: “By installing a heat pump, you can achieve a 25-27 percent reduction in your fuel bills. DON’T MISS: Putin sends warning: UK “three year secret” finally revealed [INSIGHT]Putin panics as US terror missiles arrive in Ukraine THIS MONTH [REPORT]The United Kingdom has said it will “enter and oust Putin” from Ukraine [ANALYSIS]
Mr. Hermitage said “By installing a heat pump, you can achieve a 25-27% reduction in your fuel bills” (Image: Express.co.uk) Mr Hermitage continued: “The big issue for many consumers is fluctuations in their energy costs. “The unpredictability of gas pricing has caused enormous social and economic difficulties for many consumers. “By producing heat pumps, you will have a much more steady pace, we are reducing our dependence on fossils and we are reducing our dependence on Russian gas. “And overall, you’re looking at a much more stable energy price profile. “I think in the short to medium term, this should be something consumers want to think about, because all they really want is an easier way to predict what their monthly energy bills will be.” Finally, Mr. Hermitage said, the government must think in advance to ensure that we have the manpower needed to maintain the smooth operation of the country’s heat pumps in the future. He explained: “We need to upgrade the maintenance workforce so that we can handle these pieces of equipment. “At the moment, this is not something that a gas technician could easily get in and do – they will need to have additional training and this is another investment we need to make in the industry.” The government, Hermitage added, must start investing in things like apprenticeships, special training programs and green contractors. He concluded: “It is not very useful if you use heat pumps but you do not have the specialized workforce that is able to maintain and install this equipment.”
