LONDON Clare and by David Curran nobody in the circle of friends has a heat pump. That’s why the couple’s decision to change the gas heating to an air-to-water heat pump has aroused curious, if suspicious, interest among acquaintances.
The purchase of an air-to-water heat pump is still quite rare in Britain. However, Clare and David Curran are happy with their choice.
– We wanted to reduce dependence on fossil energy. We used to use gas, says David Curran.
The new solar panels generate power for the air-water heat pump. It heats underfloor heating and hot water. Inside the engine room stands a tall hot water heater. The temperature of each room can be adjusted separately using a thermostat and controlled via a mobile phone application.
Clare Curran runs steaming hot water from the tap in the modern open kitchen. The renovation was expensive. The air-to-water heat pump, including installation, cost about 17,000 euros. The renovation and insulation of the house built in 1918 cost many times more.
– The house was cold and drafty. The heating had to be adjusted to 28 degrees so that it was somewhat warm. A lot of heat must have leaked out of the house. On winter mornings we had to run outside to adjust the gas heater, Clare Curran recalls.
Now the house is comfortably warm even in winter.
Without the decision to thoroughly renovate the house, the Currans would hardly have started renewing their energy solution. They say the price for a heat pump was up to three times that of a gas boiler.
– Every wall and floor was opened. It was a massive investment, but it felt important to restore the house for the future, Clare Curran describes.
In Britain, the state supports the purchase of a heat pump with 9,000 euros. It was only a small part of the Currans’ budget.
Purchasing a heat pump in Britain is practically only possible for the wealthy.
The British don’t trust heat pumps
Britain has the fewest heat pumps in Europe relative to the number of households. The government’s target is 600,000 new heat pumps every year by 2028, but last year 40,000 heat pumps were installed in Britain.
According to a comparison by the European heat pump association EHPA, in Finland, the top country for heat pump sales, 69 heat pumps were sold per thousand households in 2022. In Britain, only two devices were sold per thousand households at the same time.
– A heat pump is an expensive purchase. In addition, it is criticized in the media as ineffective and expensive. The condition of houses in Britain is also a problem, says the regional director of the company Energymyway Jeff Clarke.
Clarke installed a heat pump for the Curran family. There are enough customers, but not to the point of congestion.
In Britain, residential buildings are among the oldest in Europe and insulation is generally poor. That makes heating on average more expensive than elsewhere in Europe. In the energy crisis, the price of gas has also risen. But heat pump renovations also become expensive, because many houses over a hundred years old have to be modernized in order for it to make sense to install a heat pump.
Clarke says that it was only at the end of the last millennium that the authorities required the insulation of houses. The regulations have only become stricter in the 21st century.
However, gas heating threatens Britain’s climate goals. Home heating is, along with transport, Britain’s biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions. It accounts for a fifth of emissions.
Carbon-neutral goals in jeopardy
The government promises that Britain will be carbon neutral by 2050. It has envisioned heat pumps as a replacement for gas, but the transition has been slow – not least because of the government’s own decisions.
The installation of new gas boilers was supposed to be banned in a couple of years, but last fall the ban was postponed until 2035. In the election year, the government says that the people cannot afford to switch from cheap gas to an expensive heat pump.
– It seems to be short-sighted, thinks Clare Curran.
– The government either says it’s really helping the people now, or it’s trying to fish for votes for the elections.
However, Clare Curran says she understands Britain’s cost of living crisis.
– It’s easy for me to talk here, he smiles.
Installer Jeff Clarke hopes that the government would first invest in the insulation of houses, in order to minimize waste heat even in gas-heated homes. Now only the poorest receive support for insulation.
– Thus, energy consumption would be reduced regardless of the energy source. It’s not talked about enough, Clarke says.
Deputy Director of Sustainable Energy Solutions at the NESTA Innovation Foundation Andrew Sissons is worried about whether Britain will be able to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
– Britain used to be a pioneer in actions against climate change. Now Britain’s goals are threatened. Home heating is part of it. Britain is moving too slowly to heat pumps and other low-emission energy, says Sissons.
According to Sissons, the most challenging thing for governments is to make renewable energy an affordable and easy alternative for the people. According to him, the reason that Britain lags behind Europe in the installation of heat pumps can be found in the government’s policy and lack of support.
– Electricity is much more expensive than gas, so using heat pumps is more expensive than gas consumption. Installation of gas heaters is also cheap and easy. That’s a challenge for heat pumps, Sissons thinks.