The government wants pumps to cost the same to purchase and operate as fossil fuel boilers by 2030, with significant reductions of at least 25 to 50 percent by 2025.
Heat pumps may become less expensive and simpler to install in the future, as the government has granted over £15 million to innovative initiatives.
It aims for pumps to cost the same to purchase and operate as fossil fuel boilers by 2030, with significant reductions of at least 25-50% by 2025.
Ministers have set a goal of installing 600,000 pumps per year by 2028 to speed the deployment and wean families off of expensive fossil fuels.
Officials assert that the pumps are a “proven technology,” are significantly more efficient than conventional boilers, and offer a dependable, low-carbon home heating solution.
A gas boiler replacement can cost between £1,000 and £3,000, whilst an air source heat pump can cost between £7,000 and £14,000.
Approximately twenty-four projects in England and Scotland have been awarded subsidies through the second phase of the Heat Pump Ready program.
How do they function?
According to the Energy Saving Trust, a heat pump transfers outdoor heat into the residence.
It utilizes energy to accomplish this, but the amount of heat provided to your home is significantly larger than the amount of electricity necessary to operate the system.
Because a heat pump collects heat that is already available in the environment, the system does not consume any fuel and emits no carbon dioxide.
The £60 million program is researching new solutions for removing barriers to the widespread adoption of low-carbon technologies in UK homes and businesses.
The primary aims are to lower costs and improve the performance of domestic heat pumps, prevent interruption in homes during the installation process, and establish financial models that promote the greater deployment of heat pumps.
Among the projects supported by “stream 2” financing is one in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, which uses data from smart meters to optimize the operation of a heat pump in a residential energy system.
In addition, a project in Truro, Cornwall, aims to develop efficient and environmentally friendly heat pump refrigerants.
And a project in Thame, Oxfordshire, is researching ways to minimize the cost of heat pump installation and operation.
A tried and true technology
Stream 2 funding of £15 million will assist 37 small and medium firms across 24 projects in England and Scotland, resulting in the creation of more than 300 employment.
This funding accompanies the government’s £450m Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which provides homeowners with £5,000 grants towards the cost of a heat pump, and a zero rate of VAT for installing clean heating measures, and will make it an “even more affordable option for people seeking to replace a gas or oil boiler in their home.”
Lord Callanan, business and energy minister, stated: “Getting low-carbon heating technology into homes is a priority for this administration in light of rising global gas and oil costs since it will help consumers abandon the expensive fossil fuels that are driving up their bills.
Heat pumps are an established, dependable technology that utilizes renewable energy produced in the UK at a lower cost.
“We are already reducing prices through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and eliminating VAT, but by discovering new ways to make them even more affordable and easier to install, we can help more households realize the benefits even faster.”
