Ecotricity Explains: Dale’s position on heat pumps
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Our founder, Dale Vince OBE, has been in the news recently about his position on heat pumps – but the headlines can be misleading. That’s why we wanted to put the facts all in one place to clear things up.
The main point is this: Dale isn’t against heat pumps – he's just against the government plan to roll them out to every home. This is because it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to tackling green heating and rising energy costs.
In fact, he’s been using one in his own home for the last 20 years and believes they can play a key role in reducing carbon emissions from home heating – if it works for you and your home. Unfortunately, 40% of UK homes are unsuitable for heat pumps, whether they can carry out the necessary retrofits or not.
Things to bear in mind when considering getting a heat pump
Do you have a working gas boiler? Switching to heat pumps nationally would mean scrapping millions of gas boilers, cookers, and other appliances—a massive waste of resources. A more sensible solution is to keep the existing gas grid and simply switch to greener gas. This approach would save significant costs and allow for a smoother transition to decarbonised heating.
Will it reduce your energy bills? Heat pumps currently installed in the UK operate with a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of around 2.8, which can lead to a 40% increase in heating bills for many homes. To avoid bill increases, a COP of 4 is necessary, but achieving this level is uncertain across the board, particularly in homes with less insulation or older radiators. Heat pumps also produce lower temperature water than boilers, a fundamental issue for many heating systems.
Is your insulation up to scratch? Insulation can play a key role in reducing your energy bill, whilst also helping to green up Britain. Start by checking your loft or roof insulation. You need a minimum of 270mm of insulation. When houses first started being insulated it was to a depth of 100mm, so it’s worth checking any existing insulation you may have. You can also insulate your floors. If you have floorboards over a void, you can attach insulation to the undersides, which will also stop any nasty draughts.
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