No upswing for ground source heat pumps

UK: The UK Government’s £450m Boiler Upgrade Scheme has yet to deliver an upswing in residential heat pump enquiries, let alone installations, says the Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA).

In fact, according to its members survey, the GSHPA says that industry is seeing less enquiries from domestic customers than 12 months ago.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, launched in May, gives customers a grant of £6,000 for a ground source heat pump, at zero-rated VAT.

GSHPA, which represents heat pump system designers, contractors and installers across the UK, asked its members about their present levels of business and their outlook for the future. 

“The results of our members survey are stark. Despite the Government wanting to see a faster take-up of heat pumps installations, 62% of our members have seen a drop in customer enquiries for individual heat pump installations, with a direct impact on turnover and 86% of our members feel that the heat pump is less investible than a year ago,” said GSHPA chair Laura Bishop.

“Three months in, it does not appear that the Government’s heralded Boiler Upgrade Scheme is having the desired effect on heat pump deployment and is certainly no replacement for the domestic renewable heat Incentive. Further measures are required to kick-start the market for heat pumps, in particular the lifting of environmental levies on electricity for those using heat pumps, higher levels of grant support for heat pumps and home insulation and ending the sales of natural gas boilers before 2035.”