Heat pumps could halve heating bills with energy system reform, study finds | Heat pumps

Heat pumps could save households from hundreds of pounds a year on heating bills, if the government took simple measures to reform the energy system, an analysis revealed.

The average household heating bills could be about two, saving around £ 375 per year with a heat pump instead of a gas boiler, if measures were taken to make electricity cheaper.

These steps include the end of green samples on electric heating, reform of the price of electricity and taking measures to prevent gas electricity companies from raising their profits, according to an analysis of the Thinktank E3G.

Heat pumps, which operate on electricity, are more effective than gas boilers and will be essential to reach zero net greenhouse gas emissions. However, they are more expensive to manage in the United Kingdom than they should be, due to the management of the UK privatized energy system.

Currently, owners with heat pumps that are on the right price and who have well -insulated houses should save money. But some owners who replace gas boilers with electric heat pumps may not obtain any savings, or even an increase in costs. Their average annual heating bill is likely to be around £ 920, according to E3G, against £ 820 for houses with a gas boiler.

This gap retained the facilities and led the Zero anti-net activists to denounce heat pumps and to affirm that policies to promote them should be thrown. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, publicly expressed concern about the issue, while the chief scientist of the government admitted that the lack of economy currently observed by certain households was a problem.

But with a few measures, the government could transform the prospects for heat pumps and save money for millions of households, has shown E3G analysis.

The displacement of green samples which apply to electricity bills rather than gas would save around £ 150 per year for a heat pump household, discovered E3G. The reform of the electricity system, under which the price of electricity often depends on the cost at which the gas power plant at the most expensive price, would save around £ 90 per year on average.

Currently, there are installation difficulties and the supply of heat pumps. Repair could encourage more effective models and use, which could save around £ 140 per year.

Some of the largest economies may come from consumers to have access to cheaper out -of -peak electricity prices, which could save around £ 175 per year.

Chris Galpin, E3G’s main political advisor who directed research, said: “As long as the United Kingdom depends on the gas, heating bills remain high. A heat pump can already be much cheaper to manage than a gas boiler. But the government must act to make these heating bills accessible to the average cleaning. ”

The government must announce its warm home action plan this fall. A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The British people present a record request for heat pumps and we are one of the fastest growth markets in Europe.

“We explore a range of options for rebalancing gas and electricity prices – getting better results for consumers is at the heart of our approach, and we will state more details in due time. We will also repair our energy market at retail and make sure that people have the best possible support for choosing more affordable, smarter and clean energy that suits them. ”