Heat pumps alone will not make homes warmer or bills lower
David Lennan, Chairman, National Warm Homes Council
The government has just revealed new updates to its Warm Homes Plan to improve the energy efficiency of homes in the UK. At the heart of these plans is support for people switching to heat pumps. But with rising energy prices and fuel poverty increasing across Britain, will electrification be the most affordable and scalable solution to Britain’s cold homes crisis?
Millions of families continue to live in heat-leaking and expensive-to-heat homes, where they struggle with cost-of-living pressures. Friends of the Earth claims that nearly 10 million people in the UK are living in cold, damp and poorly insulated houses.
The poorest households could be paying up to £600 more a year simply to heat their homes. High energy bills continue to make things worse, with energy prices likely to remain high and volatile for a long time.
The government’s approach to tackling these challenges was outlined last week. The next steps of the Warm Homes Plan seek to upgrade up to 300,000 homes by next year, with grants of up to £7,500 for heat pumps and planning reforms to simplify installations to help more people switch to heat pumps.
The government will also consult on introducing new minimum energy efficiency standards to improve the properties of low-income homeowners and private tenants in homes with EPC ratings of D to G to at least C by 2030.
Social housing residents, lower-income householders and renters are to also receive funded energy efficiency upgrades, including for insulation and low-carbon heating.
These new developments are to be welcomed and could make a real difference in improving the energy efficiency of homes. But the reality of rising energy prices and the cold homes crisis means more must be done to lower bills, tackle increasing fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.
Our nationwide research of 2,000 people shows that 96% are turning the heating down to save money, with two-thirds (66%) worrying about how they are going to pay for heating this winter. One in five (20%) admit they are also concerned about elderly relatives who may be more vulnerable to the cold.
Our poll further suggests that 50% of people think their property is not energy efficient and loses too much heat. One in three (31%) have damp or mould in their home, while 26% have draughty windows.
The government is right to commit to low-carbon energy solutions, but it is critical to remember that electrification alone will not make homes warmer or bills lower. Heat pumps can be expensive for low-income households or ordinary families. Our findings show that 46% are concerned about the upfront costs of installing heat pumps. Though grants will help alleviate some of these concerns, heat pumps will remain a costly long-term solution to lowering bills and emissions.
More importantly, heat pumps will not operate efficiently if loft insulation is missing or left to degrade without protection, as more heat will escape. Indeed, heat pumps will cost less to operate in well-insulated homes, as they will supply heat at a lower temperature.
Considering that 25% of a home’s heat is lost through an uninsulated roof, installing loft insulation in every home is the most thermally effective method of permanently retaining heat, thereby reducing energy demand, emissions and bills. But worryingly, our survey results reveal that one in three (35%) people do not know whether their loft has the government-recommended amount of insulation (270 mm).
Boosting rates of home insulation will be key, but this still will not be enough to improve the energy efficiency of homes. This is because insulation diminishes in effectiveness without protection – reducing its thermal resistance by at least 50% and often quite soon after installation – mainly due to compression, as 80% of households use their lofts for storage. Consequently, homeowners will need to spend again to replace their insulation.
Since only 1% of UK homes have their loft insulation protected, the government should promote insulation protection as a key requirement of loft insulation installation in new builds and in the retrofitting of current homes.
By boosting rates of loft insulation and protecting it so that it lasts a lifetime, the government could prioritise easier, affordable and scalable alternatives to heat pumps.
However positive the news is about the government’s drive to help people switch to heat pumps, without more insulation that is protected, heat pumps alone will not make homes warmer or bills lower.
