Cutting edge trial for heat pumps

7th Oct 2024

 

As you may know, I am voluntary Chair of a Community-Interest-Company that tackles fuel poverty.

We have been looking at how the fuel poor can decarbonise their homes using existing technologies, namely heat pumps. Firstly, let’s be straight with you, we have ruled out support for switching from gas to a heat pump to help the fuel poor because it doesn’t. Recent evidence by the top DESNZ officials to the Public Accounts Committee confirmed what we know, heat pumps cost more to run than a gas boiler. But what about other forms of heating?

The fuel poor often do not have access to the cheapest form of heating and make do with direct electric appliances. Older forms, like storage radiators, are expensive to run and rarely deliver the comfort all consumers desire. So, this should be a fertile area for our work.

Now before you ask, we give away this kit. Yes, it’s free. Usually match funded but the cash can be found to offer fuel poor consumers a switch to a heat pump away from crappy old storage radiators. But the blunt truth is, take up is pitifully low. Now this is all counter intuitive, given all the spreadsheets and modelling suggest these fuel poor households will be financially better off – that’s why we have the programme. But here is the difference between the theory and practice.

That step into the unknown is a barrier. And because there is no guarantee that we can ethically give promising that bills will be lower, consumers decline the offer. So, we have taken a bold decision, to help inform policy makers of what might work. In addition to a free heat pump and central heating system; plus insulation, we will offer financial support with bills for the first few years. This is cutting edge. It is expensive. But it might provide the evidence to help us decarbonise all homes, leaving no one behind.