The future of heat is something that is particularly interesting for boiler engineers, as most people who have bought a boiler in the last few years will likely rely on it for heat for at least the next decade if not longer.
For a lot of people at the moment, despite the existence of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to narrow the gap, it is currently more cost-effective with everything taken into account to replace their broken boiler and use it for as long as it provides efficient, reliable heating than to replace it with a heat pump.
For a while, this was a reason why the BUS had what had been described as a disappointing number of claimants. However, with heat pumps getting cheaper due to economies of scale, could a proposed set of changes to the scheme make it worthwhile?
What Are The Proposed Changes?
According to a government consultation set to run until June, the existing parts of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme would be unchanged and simply added to.
At present, homeowners can claim a grant of up to £7,500 towards the cost of a ground-source or air-source heat pump, as well as 5,000 towards a biomass boiler in certain areas where electricity is not consistent nor cost-effective.
One proposal is to allow for multi-technology solutions or supplementary heating systems, both of which are currently restricted under the existing scheme as any qualifying heat pump needs to provide both hot water and heating.
They would also incorporate air-to-air heat pumps, which effectively work as air conditioning units that can provide central heating without water. Exactly how they would fit exacting standards is something that is to be discussed.
They are easier and cheaper to install, so they could open the door for more heating installations, although this would likely be covered by a separate grant.
There were also proposals for other technologies such as heat batteries and possible integration with clean power technologies such as solar panels, district heating and insulation.
Finally, the finances involved have potentially changed; instead of having to buy a heat pump outright, there have been suggestions to incorporate other financing models that would allow someone to lease a heat pump or purchase it using a payment plan over several years.
What Could This Mean For Homeowners?
The ultimate determination of the success of the scheme will lie in the details, as most of the expense of a heat pump is in the installation rather than the equipment or the energy cost.
The benefit of the boiler ecosystem, besides the relatively low cost of the boiler itself, is that because there are a lot of engineers who specialise in taking care of boilers, it is more affordable to find one that can provide a like-for-like swap.
A heat pump often needs considerable alterations to a house in order to retrofit it, meaning that it is usually more worthwhile to fit it into a new build rather than an existing home.
This could change over time but it would require heat pumps to become significantly cheaper and easier to install before it does.
