Heat pump installations in the UK have already exceeded last year’s total, setting a new milestone for the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) with three months still to go in 2024. By the end of September, 42,000 installations were completed—outpacing 2023's total by approximately 4%.
The UK government is launching the Warm Homes Grant in 2025, an exciting initiative aimed at helping homeowners make their properties more energy-efficient. This fully funded scheme is available to those who meet certain criteria and could significantly reduce your energy costs while lowering your home's carbon footprint.
This week, the UK's last coal power station closed, signalling that the country’s energy landscape is undergoing a massive transformation. For over 200 years, coal was king, powering industry and homes alike. But today, renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro are rapidly replacing fossil fuels in the national grid. With that change comes a new challenge—and opportunity—for those of us in the heating and plumbing industry.
With the UK election out the way and a new government in place, we feel it’s important to explore the potential implications for the heat pump market now that Labour has taken the helm. For plumbers, particularly those considering diversifying into heat pump installations, Labour's anticipated measures could present significant opportunities in the evolving green energy sector.
The UK remains overly dependent on natural gas, according to the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), which provides independent recommendations to the government.
In its recent annual assessment, the NIC highlights the urgent need to reduce reliance on high-cost, high-carbon natural gas and accelerate the adoption of heat pump technology to meet the ambitious net zero targets by 2050. According to the Commission, decarbonising buildings is a critical aspect of this transition and represents the single biggest challenge on the path to net zero.
Whoever you are, and wherever you live in the UK, rising energy prices are something we are all becoming accustomed to. The skyrocketing price of wholesale gas in Europe has driven a huge increase in the price we pay for our energy, both gas and electricity. In this article we look at what this means for heat pump owners compared to traditional fossil fuels, and whether there’s anything you can do about it.
The Government have today published their consultation response for the Future Support for Low Carbon Heat: Boiler Upgrade Scheme. This scheme will be the successor to the current domestic renewable heat incentive scheme, and will provide customers with an upfront grant to reduce the capital cost of installing a heat pump system.
The Government plans for the cost of green levies - which raise money to pay for climate change policies - to start coming from your gas bill instead of your electricity bill. This is great news for heat pumps, because it means that by switching from gas to an electrically-powered heat pump, you will save even more on your running costs.
Human activity IS changing the climate to an unprecedented level, and some of the change is already irreversible. That is the conclusion from the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”) report. Solutions are needed across all sectors in order to rapidly reduce emissions. Both Governments and individuals need to make positive decisions that will reduce carbon emissions right away.
