TECHNICAL BULLETIN
ISSUE 41
SEPTEMBER 2022
HEAT PUMPS THE FUTURE FOR HOME HEATING? DR N G CUTLAND, MINSTP, CONSULTANCY DIRECTOR, SAVA
In September 2020, the NHBC Foundation published a guide called “The Future for Home Heating – life without fossil fuels” [ref. NF87], which was researched and written by Dr Neil Cutland, then of Cutland Consulting Ltd. but now the Consultancy Director at Sava. The guide was produced following the publication of the government’s “Future Homes Standard” in 2019, which stated the intention that new homes will not be permitted to be connected to the gas grid from 2025 onwards. It considers what the non-gas home of 2025 might look like. This article, written by Dr Neil Cutland, looks specifically at heat pumps as an alternative to gas central heating and the challenges we face if we are to replace gas boilers with electric heat pumps. Introduction
In June 2022, Part L (conservation of heat and power) and Part F (ventilation) of the Building Regulations changed, meaning that carbon emissions in homes built to the new regulations will be 31% lower than the previous (2013) regulations. From 2025, when no new homes will be connected to the gas grid, the carbon emissions should be around 75-80% lower than the 2013 regulations. Efficiencies of heat pumps can exceed 300%, and government policies
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focus heavily on heat pumps as an alternative to gas central heating. The government’s Heat and Building Strategy states:
“Heat pumps are already a predominant technology in some other countries, and have high levels of customer satisfaction; however, work needs to be done to build UK supply chains and drive down costs.” The UK is clearly not leading the way with this technology.
