UK homes more suitable for heat pumps than expected

The research looked at diagnostic data from around 4,600 boilers to evaluate the viability of installing heat pumps with no changes made to existing radiators or insulation. It found that just under one-third could operate with low temperature heat pumps (LTHPs), while up to two-thirds of the homes would be suitable for high temperature heat pumps (HTHPs).

It’s widely believed that home upgrades are almost always necessary for heat pumps to be installed in UK homes. The team behind the new research hope their findings can change the conversation around installations and lead to wider heat pump rollout. The work was published in Building Services Engineering Research & Technology.

“The installation of heat pumps into dwellings nationally is something the government has been looking at implementing for some time but there has always been that concern over cost and the believed need for some form of upgrade to the home – whether that be changing the radiators or upgrading insulation,” said Dr Stephen Watson, from Loughborough University’s School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering.