Heat Pump Investment: Is Britain Behind the Curve? 

Is Britain falling behind in comparison to the rest of the world with their heat pump investment? Could we be doing more as a nation? Stick with us for answers to these questions and an up to date understanding of Britain’s current relationship with these potentially landscape-changing devices. 

With its new Heat Pump Investment Roadmap, Britain has established a plan to increase market growth by a whopping 25% year-on-year. The question is will they achieve it? 

What is the UK’s current policy on Heat Pumps? 

Currently, the government’s plan for heat pump adoption from their 10 point plan to Net Zero includes: 

Point 10: Green finance 

In order to achieve a target of 600,000 heat pumps, the UK government is looking to spend 2.4% of GDP by 2027. To help achieve this, it has created government grant schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. This scheme aims to provide funding of £6,000 towards ground source heat pump installations and £5,000 towards an air source heat pump installation, for property owners .   

Phase out gas boilers 

From 2035, the government’s plan is to phase out new gas boiler installations. Of course, this phase out is set to be gradual. The hope is to encourage the installation of renewable energy systems, and heat pumps are perhaps the most attractive option in this market at present. The move is set to help generate more demand within the market for heat pumps, replacing the current 1.7 million fossil fuel boilers installed per year- potentially even by the mid-2030s. 

Planning and Building Permissions 

A lot of the time, ground source heat pumps can require planning permission. The government is intending to permit development rights in order to boost its ability have heat pumps installed. 

In addition, the UK Government’s Future Homes Standard 2025 has also proposed to prohibit fossil fuel heating in new builds and with new building regulations allowing for homes to reduce their carbon emissions by 70-80%. 

Factors the UK should look out for: 

To achieve their target of heat pumps in 2028, the UK should take into consider the following factors: 

The current political and economic climate 

The UK has gone through a rollercoaster of a ride since Brexit, from inflation skyrocketing to the cost-of-living crisis literally costing lives with the extortionate prices of gas, for example.  

Political competition 

Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, trade and collaboration has changed for UK businesses. As other countries to race to boost their economies through investments into heat pump technology, the UK must identify how best to compete and work with international partners, within the UK and beyond.  

Economic downfall  

Brexit has not only impacted the lives and cost of living for the UK, it has also put economic pressure on its residents. With purses pinched, disposable income may be limited for many – which could be detrimental to heat pump adoption. 

Despite the long term savings of heat pumps, which utilise cheap renewable energy, there is an up-front installation and purchasing cost involved. Hopefully governmental incentives help alleviate this burden, but the current economic climate could slow the adoption of heat pumps over the coming years. 

However, this in turn places more political pressure on the government to uphold Net zero by 2050 commitments, and keep the UK’s reputation as a sustainable country in tact on the global stage. 

Our world is in environmental danger. 

There’s no shortage of news detailing how much danger our planet currently faces as a product of global warming. The push for environmentally friendly operational change has never been stronger, and are constantly spurred on by events such as: 

• Wildfires across Europe 
• Earthquakes in Turkey and Asia  
• Melting polar icecaps which could be impacting flooding 
• Fluctuating weather inconsistent with seasons (e.g., intense heatwaves even in the UK reaching nearly 40°C – which is very unusual for the UK, followed by unexpected weeks summer rain) 

All these disasters are a result of global warming contributed by the combustion of fossil fuels (by which we get most of our electricity from). As a result, the push for increasing heat pump investments is necessary. 

Are heat pumps really worth it? 

Yes. Given the current climate, investing in a heat pump is a meaningful and positive sustainable change you can make in the world. The installation of heat pumps contributes towards the decarbonisation of domestic and commercial heating in the UK. Save your planet, your family, your future by exploring heat pumps as a means of heating your property. 

At Warmaway, we provide a market-leading range of quality heat pumps, installed by our licensed, trained, and experienced engineers. We install both ground source heat pumps, and air source heat pumps depending on which you prefer, and which best fits your home.  

If you are interested in installing heat pump, contact us today.