Despite large scale government funding and a concerted marketing effort by industry, most Britons remain sceptical about investing in boiler alternatives. So what about city-scale circular energy systems?
In February, Downing Street announced its intention to subsidise the installation of 360,000 residential heat pumps through the Warm Homes Plan it unveiled in 2025. It’s an ambitious target, but one that builds on rising demand for this the low carbon technology over successive years. But the majority of UK citizens are yet to be convinced this is the right way to go.
According to research by Which?, policymakers may have been too focused on cost when trying to encourage people to switch from older boilers to heat pumps for their domestic needs. In a survey of 1,000 homeowners, the consumer champion found that although expense was an issue, psychological factors were also stopping more people signing on the dotted line. Around one third, for example, said there were ‘too many long-term uncertainties’. Meanwhile, only a few less believed shelling out for installation was ‘too much of a gamble’.
There’s some ambiguity in any survey that asks participants to agree or disagree with general statements. But in this case, respondents regularly cited concerns over their ability to live with the equipment, and the impact it could have when they come to sell their property on. This shows a lack of understanding as to how the technology works, from noise to energy reliability, and emphasises just how many people are yet to get on board with the idea of not having a boiler in their apartment or house.
Unsurprisingly, the horror stories of rogue tradespeople and cowboy installers haven’t helped alleviate worries that the heat pump industry, just like the domestic insulation sector, is a Wild West. In its defence, the government has done its best to try and combat this with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), but given 80% of the people Which? spoke to had never heard of the acronym, let alone what the system is there to do — guarantee standards — there’s plenty of awareness work to do.
Nevertheless, as more heat pumps make their way to homes without issue, visibility and perceptions of reliability and genuine efficiency will grow. According to Mitsubishi Electric, sustained expansion of the market is so inevitable the company just announced a partnership with Alto Energy to launch a training and support platform, up-skilling existing boiler experts in heat pump installations. Proof of inherent confidence that more professionals will be needed to meet rising demand.
However, the company believes more can be done at a policy level to support the sector, including taking a hard look at the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES). Labour recently unveiled plans to expand this regulation to cover private rented commercial properties over 1,000 square metres. But while this would force many more landlords to look at more efficient ways of heating buildings, the current proposed change would still only cover a fraction of private commercial addresses.
‘This move seeks to deliver the greatest benefits and bill reductions for tenants in larger buildings, which are responsible for 60% of electricity consumption and 70% of gas consumption in the UK,’ says Chris Newman, Net Zero Carbon Design Manager and Commercial Heat Pump Expert at Mitsubishi Electric. ‘However, buildings over 1,000 square metres account for only 7% of non-domestic buildings, so there is concern that such a narrow scope may not deliver the level of impact required to decarbonise existing building stock at the pace required.’
Perhaps Ordnance Survey’s own energy solution proposal can help establish a model which mirrors many of the UK’s continental neighbours which are well-known for low carbon, affordable and renewable approaches to heating buildings.
The organisation just conducted a study with EnergiRaven and Viegand Maagøe, focused on Greater Manchester. Far and away Britain’s fastest growing urban economy, the city region is undergoing a rapid expansion outwards and upwards across all sectors, including high tech industries such as AI and data centres, and residential. One single regeneration project, dubbed Victoria North, will alone deliver 15,000 new homes once completed and ranks amongst Europe’s biggest housing developments. All of which means demand for resources, including heat, is going to skyrocket in the coming years. But so is the amount of heat that is, under the existing model, wasted.
According to Ordnance Survey, almost £9 billion could be saved from collective energy bills over a 20 year period by establishing a ‘heat highway’, which would support up to 85% of homes in the region. The theoretical network would follow established road, rail and light rail routes, taking excess heat from industrial areas, storing it as hot water, then redistributing it into homes. In theory, you’d be looking at lower energy costs for everyone, freeing up more money for decarbonisation where necessary.
‘There is enough excess energy to heat all the new homes that we are building in Manchester if we join the dots,’ explains Simon Kerr, Head of Heat Networks at EnergiRaven. ‘Technically, there is no need to generate new heat in the city centre. The heat network could use what we already have.’
‘The pace and urgency of the energy transition means that the UK needs to be on the lookout for any and all opportunities to bring down bills and be smarter about how we use energy,’ adds Chris Wilton, Sector Lead for Utilities at OS. ‘This is a perfect example of how quality location data can enable just that. By bringing together insights on energy, homes, businesses, infrastructure, and communities, we can take a fresh look at where heat is being created and consumed and explore new possibilities to bring energy where it is needed.’
Image: Jonny Gios / Unsplash
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