Why Most Homes Will Need Heat Pumps For Climate Targets

{Most Homes will need Heat Pumps. We are going to investigate this at length at Earth and Leaf. Dale Vince is unconvinced. So are we. The Government grants available for pumps may just be a waste of money. We will investigate this – Earth and Leaf editorial}

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Most homes will need heat pumps

Heat pumps will need to be installed in the vast majority of Welsh homes to meet climate targets, the Welsh government has said.

However, the government’s new heat strategy stops short of saying if or when oil and gas boilers will be banned, acknowledging the switch was still “beyond the means” of many.

It said it would focus on making it easier to opt for the greener tech with financial incentives and changes to planning rules, among other things.

Heating accounts for 50% of energy use in Wales, 75% of which is generated by burning oil and gas, releasing planet-warming carbon emissions.

Heat pumps run on electricity instead of gas.

As the UK increases its production of electricity from renewable sources like the wind and sun, it is hoped that they will play a big part in cutting emissions.

Heat pumps warm buildings by absorbing heat from the air, ground, or water.

Air-source pumps, for example, suck in outdoor air and pass it over tubes containing refrigerant fluids to produce heat.

On average, they cost £10,000 more than a gas boiler to install, according to the National Infrastructure Commission, but costs are falling all the time.