Heat pumps will become the principal low-carbon heating technology in new homes, the government has said.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has responded to feedback to a consultation it conducted just over a year ago into its proposals for a Future Homes Standard that will govern new residential development from 2025.
The response confirms the government’s commitment in the Treasury’s 2019 Spring Spending Statement to ban the installation of fossil fuel heating, such as a natural gas boilers, in new-build homes by the middle of this decade.
The response states: “A low-carbon heating system will be integral to the specification of the Future Homes Standard and we anticipate that heat pumps will become the primary heating technology for new homes.”
The document says while there is likely to be a mix of low carbon technologies used for heating in the future, electrification is currently one of the few proven scalable options for decarbonising heat, meaning that it is “important” to build a market for heat pumps now.
It says that heat pumps are three times more efficient than direct electricity for heating homes.
The prime minister’s 10-point green recovery plan, published in November, set a target to install 600,000 heat pumps per annum by 2028.
However, the document says that heat networks will also have an important role to play and are often an appropriate solution for developments in towns and cities because they are the “only way” to tap the lowest-carbon heating sources, like from incineration plants and from rivers and mines.
The document also says the government will press ahead with more immediate plans to update the Part L regulations to cut emissions from new homes.
These involve a combination of improved building fabric standards, such as double glazing, and deployment of low-carbon heating and micro-generation devices, such as solar panels.
This option would result in a 31 per cent cut in carbon emissions from the typical new-build property compared to a dwelling that meets current regulations.
The paper estimates that all occupants of properties built to the revised Part L standard will have lower fuel bills.
Those living in homes built to the existing Part L standard, which was last revised in 2013, pay £379 a year on average for energy.
Under the latest proposed revision to the Part L standard, the document anticipates that householders will pay average energy bills of £168 per year in a home equipped with a gas boiler and a solar panel.
However, those living in homes installed with a heat pump will see a smaller reduction, typically paying £369 per annum on their energy bills.
Jess Ralston, analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, expressed concern that that the gas boiler ban in new homes will be introduced two years later than the 2023 date specified in the initial version of the PM’s 10-point plan, which was rapidly withdrawn.
She said: “Backtracking on suggestions that these measures would be delivered two years earlier is bad news for England’s housing stock. There is little reason for the delay, with the result being more than half a million leaky houses that will be occupied by families facing higher bills than necessary
“However, there are positive signs elsewhere. Backing heat pumps as the main clean source of heat is in line with expert recommendations, while removing much-criticised proposals to strip the ability of local councils to set higher standards will avoid a lessening of ambition in many cities.
“Moving away from polluting and unreliable gas boilers is essential if the government is to make our homes net zero compatible. Starting with new houses is the lowest hanging fruit and should give the clean heat industry a leg up to begin climate proofing tens of millions of homes.”
But Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, gave a warm welcome.
He said: “We are delighted that the government has listened to our call for higher ambition on building standards, and that it will preserve local governments’ ability to set higher standards if they choose.”
“Every new home built will require an increase in energy efficiency that could be met by solar. This is a real victory for our industry and consumers, acting as an important steppingstone on the way towards a more ambitious Future Home Standard come 2025.”