On top of the “eye-watering expense” of installing heat pumps in tens of millions of homes, the running costs are likely to be higher, too. The Government must reconsider its “absurd” plans which could cost taxpayers an incredible £115 billion in total, energy experts say.
As we reported on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants 600,000 heat pumps installed every year by 2028, as part of his drive “net zero” carbon emissions drive.
But the Government’s infrastructure chief Sir John Armitt said most people would refuse to spend between £5,000 to £15,000 on a heat pump when a new gas boiler costs just £1,500.
His conclusion? Households must be forced to make the switch by BANNING the sale of new gas boilers.
The International Energy Agency has already said that gas boiler sales should cease after 2025, if the UK is to hit its net zero target.
The Government has indicated that it is likely to ban gas boilers in all newly built homes from that date.
This triggered a furious response from Express readers, who slammed the “bonkers” idea and said people cannot afford the expense.
We contacted energy experts and they agree. The Government’s scheme will cost a fortune, and YOU will be footing the bill.
The Government has a legal obligation to hit net zero by 2050 but it won’t be easy as living costs soar, said Mike Foster, chief executive of the Energy and Utilities Alliance.
“Some of the options put forward to achieve net zero homes involve eye-watering sums of money, which frankly, people do not have.”
Installing a heat pump as an alternative to a gas boiler will cost at least £10,000 and that is only the start of the expense, he said.
Those living in period or poorly insulated homes might have to pay another £12,000, to retain the heat generated to make them work efficiently. This could lift the total cost to around £22,000.
“These absurd sums might mean nothing to the millionaires suggesting heat pumps are the future, but to ordinary hard-working families, they are beyond reach,” Foster said.
He said there’s a much cheaper option. Gas networks plan to blend low carbon hydrogen with natural gas, allowing us to continue using our existing boilers for now, and switch to zero carbon “hydrogen-ready” boilers later.
READ MORE: Fury at plans to ban gas boilers and install £10,000 heat pumps
Even heat pump manufacturers are sceptical about scrapping gas boilers. Christian Engelke, technical director at Viessmann, said “heat pumps are not the only game in town”.
They will not suit every UK property, and it is unrealistic to expect the nation, its heating industry or electricity grid to embark on a mass rush to adopt heat pumps. “Especially as the industry is struggling to meet demand right now.”
Engelke called for a mixed approach, including hydrogen boilers, hybrid heating systems, and fuel-cell boilers. “This is on top of improving leaky and inefficient housing through insulation.”
He said this would offer consumers a range of choices in homes where heat pumps aren’t practical or applicable.
It would also save households a small fortune.
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Yet the Government looks set to press ahead with its heat pump plans and the nation’s 26 million gas boilers are living on borrowed time.
They will eventually go the way of the coal fire, which used to be a fixture in everybody’s home, said Sean Keyes, managing director at engineering firm Sutcliffe. “In 20 to 30 years, we will look back and question why we ever had them, given the environmental damage caused by burning fossil fuels.”
Yet even Keyes is sceptical about heat pumps and agreed that the net zero push should initially focus on areas such as energy efficiency, especially in older homes, through improved insulation roofing, secondary glazing and draft proofing.”
Unfortunately, this will also be costly. Period property owners also face bills averaging £6,000 each under Government plans to force them to “retrofit” their homes with insulation and double glazing.
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