Planning change makes heat pump installations easier for homes

A key planning restriction that heat pumps must be one meter from the property of a neighbor has been lifted while the government seeks to accelerate the taking of low carbon technology.

The change, which is one of the hot houses of the government, plans to reduce household bills and reduce global warming emissions, means that it could be easier for millions of houses in England to have a heat pump installed.

But consumer groups warn that changes will not help people for rental or lease properties and that the largest barrier to install a heat pump is high initial costs.

This is a particular problem for the older housing stock where upgrades to pipe and insulation can also be necessary.

Most British houses use gas boilers for their hot water and heating, but this produces up to 14% of the greenhouse gases that warm the country’s planet.

In comparison, heat pumps use electricity, so the country moves to electricity production from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, they could produce far fewer emissions than boilers.

But going from a gas boiler to a heat pump is expensive and not simple if you live in one of the six million houses in terraces in England.

Until Thursday, the owners needed a building permit if they wanted to put a heat pump less than a meter from the property of their neighbor – due to concerns about noise.

Tom Clarke, a gas engineer who recently recycled to install heat pumps, said that he had to ask for a building permit was a barrier for his customers.

“When you look through London, we have loads and lots of terraced houses and no matter where you place the aircraft, it will always be less than a meter from the border,” he said.

It was particularly problematic for people who replace a broken gas boiler, as many customers would not want to spend more than a month without heating while waiting for the council, he said.

This is taken up by Octopus Energy, who declared to the Energy Security Committee of Parliament and Net Zero (ESNZ) in 2023 that this planning rule affected 27% of its customers.

“Those trying to proceed end up waiting for eight to 10 additional weeks on average. Even if customers meet all requirements, there is no guarantee that local councils grant authorization, because they all have different interpretations of the central planning directives,” wrote the company in its submission. “The combined impact of all these things means that very little of the 27% of customers who need planning have made the installation.”

The rule has now been abandoned to accelerate the absorption of heat pumps. Previous concerns about noise are less a problem with more recent devices, although units will always have to be lower than a certain level of volume.

Planning changes also include relaxation of the rules for the size and number of heat pumps that households can install.

The most likely to be affected households are those who live in terraced housing. In 2021, they represented 5.7 million households, or 23% of the total. Some of them will still need a building permit, for example those who live in conservation areas.

The change is part of the government’s hot house plan which aims to give 300,000 households to improve their energy efficiency and lower invoices.

Although the heat pump industry has praised changes, many point out that the main barrier for many customers is that the installation of heat pumps is expensive, especially in older homes, where better insulation may also be necessary.

This was the case with Social Housing Estate Sutton Dwellings in Chelsea, London, which underwent a complete renovation of its fabric alongside a new network of heat pump at the terrestrial source.

Its owner, Clarion Housing Group, has received a government grant to install the new network, but has also invested its own money.

Stuart Gadsden, Commercial Director of Kensa, the company that designed and installed the system, said that it was a problem for many owners: “A great [barrier] Funding is obviously more expensive to install than a traditional gas boiler system.

“In the social housing sector, we have funding from the social housing fund for hot houses, but it has been overwritten by double. Many housing associations want to put a heating with a low carbon content, but there is not enough to go around.”

Tenants must count on owners ready to make the initial initial investment.

Rob Lane, director of property at Clarion, said that the company was happy to do so at Sutton Dwellings because of the impact for residents: “We are waiting to see how the management costs of this system confirm, but our forecasts suggest that each house will cost an average £ 450 per £ 500 per home (each year) – considerable savings for residents.”

From 2030, as part of the hot house plan, there will be compulsory requirements for all private owners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.

But the way in which energy performance certificates (EPC) are currently calculated means that a gas boiler can sometimes have a better note than a heat pump because it examines energy costs and assumes that gas is cheaper.

Katy King, deputy director of sustainability at Charity Nesta, said the government could reduce electricity costs.

“The United Kingdom has some of the most expensive electricity prices in Europe. The government could withdraw electricity withdrawals and put them on gas or use general taxation. It is a delicate choice and we expect them to consult in the year,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We help industry to develop funding models that can completely eliminate the initial cost and consult new approaches, such as heat pump subscriptions, to help more households to go to a cleaner heating in a way that works for them.”