The UK government will have to significantly increase the number of low-carbon heat pumps sold if it wants to meet its annual targets in a bid to combat climate change, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The state watchdog found the government’s goal of installing 600,000 heat pumps by 2028 was unlikely to be met at the current rate and pointed to three reasons for the slow uptake: a lack of public awareness, the higher cost of the pumps over gas boilers, and the lack of long-term financial support for households. NAO Director Simon Bittlestone called on the government to address how it plans to decarbonise home heating.
Although the government increased grants for low-carbon heating last year, only 55,000 heat pumps were sold in the UK in the same year. Heat pumps use electricity instead of gas, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating homes. Heating homes contributes to about 18% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. Bittlestone also drew attention to the government’s lingering indecision on hydrogen heating, which he said discouraged investment in heat pumps, potentially making them more affordable.
The NAO recommended the government decides whether hydrogen heating would be a necessary part of the UK’s energy home heating system before 2026 to enable the industry to make judicious investments. Homeowners have been asking gas engineers whether they should await the implementation of the hydrogen alternatives, as the government has not ruled out the option. Meanwhile, in 2022, energy companies like Octopus have been offering heat pumps as low as £500 plus government grants.
Izzy Woolgar of the Centre for Net Zero applauded the government’s move to remove the insulation requirement for the grant and declared that it “could make a big difference.” However, Jess Ralston, an energy analyst with the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, bemoaned the government’s decision to delay the implementation of fines for manufacturers who failed to meet heat pump sales targets, labelling it another case of dithering
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