Heat pumps are a solution for decarbonising home heating in the UK.However,the readiness of UK homes for heat pumps is an area of concern regarding the policies aimed at increasing heat pump adoption.This work com-bin...Heat pumps are a solution for decarbonising home heating in the UK.However,the readiness of UK homes for heat pumps is an area of concern regarding the policies aimed at increasing heat pump adoption.This work com-bines multiple perspectives in evaluating the technical readiness of homes with the market readiness of install-ers and homeowners to proceed with installing heat pumps.The effectiveness of past heating and energy effi-ciency policies in the UK are reviewed,along with building regulations,incentives to promote energy efficiency and the effectiveness of heat pump technology in heating homes.Current policies support the cost of a heat pump but home improvements to make homes‘heat pump-ready’can be necessary to achieve optimal heat pump system performance.This paper suggests the UK will face three major challenges.First,analysis highlights an‘eligibility-readiness gap’describing the difference between homes‘eligible’(50%)for the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme—a subsidy for heat pump installations—and the likely level of homes that are heat pump-ready(11%)for successful heat pump installations.Second,semi-structured interviews with heat pump installers identified gaps in capacity to deliver the necessary works to make homes heat pump-ready.As small or medium enterprises,the majority of installers do not currently see adding home improvement services to their existing business model as beneficial.All install-ers highlighted the need for Government to address the cost of electricity relative to gas.Third,a national survey of homeowners in England with gas boilers(n=1,021)revealed low awareness of the necessary work to make homes heat pump-ready and low willingness to spend money on them unless supported by Government.This paper shows that the processes and costs involved in making homes heat pump-ready before successful design and installation are underappreciated by homeowners,inadequately served by industry,and insufficiently supported by Government.展开更多
基金supported by the Low Temperature Heat Recovery and Distribution Network Technologies(LoT-NET)project,a£5.4 M research programme between four British universities and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(EPSRC)/UK Research and Innovation(UKRI),see grant reference EP/R045496/1 and http://www.lot net.org/.
文摘Heat pumps are a solution for decarbonising home heating in the UK.However,the readiness of UK homes for heat pumps is an area of concern regarding the policies aimed at increasing heat pump adoption.This work com-bines multiple perspectives in evaluating the technical readiness of homes with the market readiness of install-ers and homeowners to proceed with installing heat pumps.The effectiveness of past heating and energy effi-ciency policies in the UK are reviewed,along with building regulations,incentives to promote energy efficiency and the effectiveness of heat pump technology in heating homes.Current policies support the cost of a heat pump but home improvements to make homes‘heat pump-ready’can be necessary to achieve optimal heat pump system performance.This paper suggests the UK will face three major challenges.First,analysis highlights an‘eligibility-readiness gap’describing the difference between homes‘eligible’(50%)for the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme—a subsidy for heat pump installations—and the likely level of homes that are heat pump-ready(11%)for successful heat pump installations.Second,semi-structured interviews with heat pump installers identified gaps in capacity to deliver the necessary works to make homes heat pump-ready.As small or medium enterprises,the majority of installers do not currently see adding home improvement services to their existing business model as beneficial.All install-ers highlighted the need for Government to address the cost of electricity relative to gas.Third,a national survey of homeowners in England with gas boilers(n=1,021)revealed low awareness of the necessary work to make homes heat pump-ready and low willingness to spend money on them unless supported by Government.This paper shows that the processes and costs involved in making homes heat pump-ready before successful design and installation are underappreciated by homeowners,inadequately served by industry,and insufficiently supported by Government.
