Heat pump installs up, but trail solar PV

UK: Data from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) reveal 8,790 UK heat pump installations in the first three months of this year, its second highest quarter in the scheme’s history.

A total of 3,176 heat pumps were installed in March, a 10% increase on the previous month and the third-most successful month for heat pump deployment on record. The period with the highest number of installations was Q1 2022, which saw 14,212 heat pumps deployed in the run-up to the end of the Domestic Renewable Heating Incentive.

The number of certified heat pump contractors increased by 95 in the quarter, bringing the total to 1,494, a 17% increase on Q1 2022.

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certifies, quality assures and provides consumer protection for microgeneration installations and installers. In addition to heat pumps, these consist of small scale renewable electricity technologies such as solar PV, biomass, wind and heat products.

The latest figures reveal that heat pumps are trailing installations of solar PV, which saw 50,719 installations during the quarter. The figure represents a 114% increase on the number of solar PV installations for the same period in 2022.