If the UK is to meet the 2050 goals set by the Government then all housing in the UK must have zero carbon emissions from space and water heating, according to Rick Hartwig, Built Environment Lead at the institution of Engineering & Technology (IET).
“Innovation will always assist in reducing costs and improving energy performance, but sufficient work has already been done in research and pilot studies, to show that massively reducing the carbon emissions and energy requirements of current housing is achievable and needs to be done. Retrofitting has other benefits too, making cold homes warmer, healthier and reducing bills and fuel poverty.
“There is considerable practical experience in financing deep retrofit projects, managing them, and engaging with the social housing sector. We need to build on that experience to create a national retrofit programme to deliver our 2050 goals. This will not only help drive demand but allow greater scale to cut the costs per property and make the investment attractive to householders.”
Heat Pumps will Play a Pivotal Role
Heat pumps will play a pivotal role in decarbonising both the new build sector and the existing housing stock. This is a message being reiterated continuously by the Committee on Climate Change:
“In its most recent progress report to Parliament, published this week, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) called for the transition to a sustainable heat networks model, with more than 1.5 million heat pumps being deployed annually in the early 2030s; the creation of new and gradually tightening mandates for emissions from existing and new buildings of all kinds and better supports for retrofits. ”
Why Are Heat Pumps So important?
Heat pumps utilise stored solar energy in the air or the ground. They require just a small amount of electricity to drive a refrigeration system, which upgrades that solar energy into high-grade heat energy for your radiations and your hot water.
As we move towards a predominantly electric infrastructure, with more energy coming from wind, solar and nuclear, it’s important to use that electrical energy as efficiently as possible. With a heat pump, you get between 3 - 4 units of heat energy, for every 1 unit of electrical energy consumed. This level of efficiency therefore makes best use of the precious electricity generated by the zero carbon electricity grid of the future.
Speak to an expert
The main difference between heat pumps and boilers is how they are designed. That is the critical piece of expertise to ensure that the heat pump specified for your home works effectively and efficiently.
Here at Alto Energy we possess that experience in the heat pump retrofit market, and deal with clients on projects like this day in, day out.
We have seen a big increase in the number of customers choosing heat pumps in the last couple of years, and it is clear from conversations with customers that more and more people are becoming environmentally aware. Heat pumps will continue to offer a low carbon solution which will help the UK reach its ambitious climate goals.