Planning for the Future Looking forward to a good year

For anyone involved in the UK heat pump market, the next few months should present plenty of opportunities to raise public awareness and increase sales – Phil Hurley from NIBE highlights some of the reasons for positivity.

Following the recent re-opening of our training centre in Chesterfield, we are looking forward to training engineers to install heat pumps through our NIBE Pro courses this year. We’re also excited about several new product launches across our range, but there are still many decisions to be made if we are to progress towards net zero.

The Future Homes Standard (FHS) will set the energy efficiency standard for new homes built from 2025. As we await the technical consultation this year, there is much anticipation of how far the final specifications will go to lower energy bills for consumers and maximise heat pump performance. And with the average household energy bill rising to £3000 from April, proposals expected on rebalancing gas and electricity bills this year will complement the FHS by driving down the already competitive running costs of heat pumps, through cheaper electricity.

Key policy decisions

Despite the expectation of continued heat pump growth this year globally, the UK has historically lagged behind other countries. In Poland alone, heat pump sales increased by up to 140% in 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, meaning that heat pumps account for 30% of all heating devices sold.

In the UK, there are still around 1.7 million gas boilers installed every year, with approximately 60,000 heat pump installs this year. In contrast, French heat pump sales in 2021 were over 500,000 – if we are to catch up to our European colleagues, it is clear there is some way to go.

Policy will play a crucial role in accelerating UK heat pump progress and the government’s flagship Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) now has just over two years left to achieve its targets.

More publicity is needed to raise pubic awareness of the scheme. Employing the methods used to raise awareness of the Green Homes Grant could be something to follow. With the Scottish Government recently announcing a £7500 grant for heat pumps, rising to £9000 for rural homes, on top of an interest free loan for homeowners, there is a clear precedent for greater ambition. And I expect to see sales increase over the coming months across the industry.