In a new assessment of data provided by the European Heat Pump Association, it found the UK is seriously lagging behind its European neighbours when it comes to switching to clean sources of home heating and decarbonising its housing sector.
Heat pumps – which effectively work like a refrigerator running in reverse – can significantly lower heating bills but the upfront cost of having one installed prevents many households from making the transition. A single heat pump costs approximately £10,000.
Of the 21 countries for which data was available, the UK came joint last on heat pump sales last year, with just 1.3 heat pumps sold per 1000 households. The UK was second to last when it came to total installations, with just 10 installations per 1000 households.
Earlier this week, the UK government announced a £270m ‘Green Heat Network Fund’ which is intended to support low-carbon technologies including heat pumps.
The country’s heat pump sales figures per...