Showhome Editor, Roshini Bains talks with Phil Hurley, Chair of the Heat Pump Association, to discuss government strategy and the importance of housing sustainability.
To ensure that Britain reaches net zero by 2050, the government has recently announced the rolling out 600,000 heat pumps per year at a minimum, as part of the Heat and Buildings Strategy. With this news having a major impact on the housing sector and the future of house heating and energy efficiency, it seemed necessary to conduct such an important interview with Phil Hurley to gain a better understanding of what heat pumps are and how they will shape our lives in the future.
How has COVID-19 impacted domestic carbon emissions and the national shift towards heat pump installations?
We have definitely seen a shift in mindset when it comes to tackling carbon emissions. When it comes to homes in particular, the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a green recovery, created as a result of the pandemic, included a target for 600,000 heat pumps to be deployed per year by 2028. This has created a big milestone for the industry to work towards and it’s really promising to see the Heat and Buildings Strategy uphold this target as a minimum.
How do heat pumps work and how do they promote sustainability? What is different from other modes of heating?
Heat pumps are a renewable heating technology that uses a lot less electrical energy than the typical methods of turning electricity into heat, delivering around 3-4 kWh of energy for every 1kWh of electricity used to power it.
They also work in a very efficient process, using the electrical power to harness additional energy from either the air, ground, or any other nearby source. And with heat pumps being powered by electricity, they are only expected to get cleaner over time thanks to the ever-growing share of electricity generated by renewable sources.
What is your response to the recent government initiative called the Heat and Buildings Strategy? And how do you feel about the Government introducing a £5k subsidy towards individual heat pump installations.
The Heat and Buildings Strategy has got us off to a great start and is an important milestone that will strengthen the heat pump market. With heat pumps being a key focus of the Strategy, the Government has made clear that the technology is here to stay, and this is hugely important in the sense that it provides certainty to industry and consumers. We’re really pleased to see the Strategy Build on the Prime Minister’s ten-point plan by committing to a strong mass rollout of at least 600,000 heat pumps by 2028.
Read the full article in our Novmeber-December issue here: Show Home (pagesuite-professional.co.uk)
Media contact
Roshini Bains,
Editor, Showhome Magazine
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: [email protected]
