Heat pumps: better advice, skilled installers and lower electricity costs key to successful transition, says industry expert

In episode 2 of Tomorrow’s Energy Bean explains that heat pumps are generally classified according to the source from which they take energy.

Air-source heat pumps, for example, take energy from the air and transfer it into water for heating systems or hot water. Ground-source systems take energy from the ground, while air-to-air heat pumps, which are commonly associated with air conditioning in the UK, transfer heat directly into a building.

The most appropriate technology depends on the individual site, he said, with factors including available space, natural resources and budget all playing a role.

He says: “In the UK, because of the density of buildings, the dominant technology by some distance at the moment is air source.”

However, he expects heat networks to become increasingly important in urban areas, with large commercial heat pumps potentially drawing energy from sources such as rivers. Bean argues that consumers have not received enough clear information about the different heating technologies available to them.

He says the government has an important role to play in improving public understanding, while community engagement could also help homeowners understand the practical realities of installing and operating a heat pump.

For consumers considering a heat pump, Bean stresses the importance of doing research before committing to what can be a significant investment.

“We need to remind consumers that there is an element of due diligence here,” he says. He compares the process with choosing a new kitchen or bathroom, where homeowners might research suppliers, compare products and visit showrooms before making a decision.

“We need to do a similar amount of due diligence ourselves in our homes to make sure, first of all, that we’re choosing the right technologies.”

Choosing the right installer is equally important.

“That is, I think, the biggest challenge for consumers at the moment, is identifying an installer who is going to, first, be technically capable, and second, is going to look after them.”

Bean says the current move towards low-carbon heating should not be viewed as an unprecedented transformation.

In our conversation Bean references the introduction of central heating, which began to expand rapidly in UK homes from the late 1960s onwards and took decades to reach widespread adoption.

“We’ve been through these big energy transitions before. The last big one was the introduction of central heating, which started in the late 60s and then moved for the 70s and 80s.”

The transition to central heating took around 30 years to reach approximately 85% penetration in retrofit homes, he said.

For Bean, the lesson is that major changes to domestic heating take time and can be disruptive. “We’re sort of being told that the transition we’re about to go through, the energy transition as we decarbonise our society, is sort of new and scary. Actually, it isn’t.”

Alongside consumer education, Bean identifies skills as a major challenge for the heat pump sector.

He argues that developing the workforce should begin much earlier than apprenticeships or tertiary education.

“The skills piece to me starts in primary education,” he says. He would like to see greater encouragement of young people into practical careers and highlights the need to attract more women into the sector.

For homeowners, he points to initiatives that allow prospective heat pump customers to speak directly to people who have already had systems installed.

One example is Nesta’s Visit a Heat Pump initiative, which allows homeowners to find existing heat pump installations in their area and speak to the people who live with them. Bean says such visits could help consumers understand the technology in practice and provide insight into the quality of local installers.

Ultimately, Bean says consumers were less concerned about the technology itself than the outcome it delivers.

“I think the key here is that what homeowners want is comfort. They’re not wedded to the technologies necessarily. What they want is comfort.”

He expects heat pumps to become part of a much broader electrification of the home, alongside electric vehicles, battery storage and solar photovoltaic systems.

The challenge will be making these technologies work together without placing additional technical demands on homeowners.

“The home of the future will have electric vehicles, battery storage, solar PV possibly, and a heat pump,” he says.

Bean believes software and third-party services will increasingly manage these systems, optimising when electricity is bought, stored and used.

“A small minority will want to be able to manage things minutely, but the vast majority of people want to be reassured.”

Bean says the longer-term outlook for electrification could be positive for consumers, although the UK’s current energy prices remain a challenge.

“I think there’s no doubt that in the medium to long-term electrification is going to reduce energy costs.”

He noted that the UK currently has historically high energy costs for both gas and electricity and argued that changes to electricity pricing would be crucial to determining whether households see savings from switching to heat pumps.

“It is perfectly possible to deploy a heat pump now, make use of some of the available tariffs, and at least be cost-competitive, possibly with a reduction.”

For households able to combine a heat pump with solar panels and battery storage, Bean says the potential to reduce the average cost of electricity could be even greater.

Bean also highlights the potential role of electric vehicles in the future energy system. Because cars typically spend much of their time parked, their batteries could potentially be used as an additional source of household energy storage.

He says it’s like a battery storage facility, suggesting that vehicle-to-home technology could allow households to charge vehicles when electricity is cheap and subsequently use that stored energy in the home.

This could fundamentally change how households consume and store energy.

The transition to low-carbon heating will therefore involve more than simply replacing boilers with heat pumps. For Bean, its success will depend on giving consumers better information, ensuring there are enough skilled installers, developing innovative ways to finance installations and creating an energy system in which electrification can ultimately deliver both comfort and lower costs.

Bean Beanland was speaking on Episode 2 of Salix Finance's podcast, Tomorrow’s Energy. The podcast explores issues around decarbonisation and the transition to a low-carbon economy.