Brexit Benefit? UK Heat Pumps Might Perform Better
Even marmite has an easier ride then Brexit. The family splitting, polarising debate over EU membership provides acres of bad news stories across every colour of the political spectrum.
However.
There could be a competitive advantage to being outside the EU if you consider the latest review of Heat Pump standards in the UK. Don't get too excited. There's plenty of time to get it wrong.
Heat Pumps - Regulation In Performance
It's been a not well hidden secret that manufacturers in any industry will adhere to guidelines for performance, just enough, to pass regulations. But only in order to get a minimum viable product (MVP) out the door.
In established industries like car manufacturing, there has been the documented cases of, to say the least - some creative self regulation.
BBC News
'Marking your own homework' didn't work in the Automotive Industry
Performance regulation is especially hard in an industry like heat pumps where the effective installation and use of controls can dramatically effect the efficacy of whatever is being put into a home.
Rightly so. The recent Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) Raising Product Standards for Space Heating consultation has created a lively discussion amongst heat pump professionals. But as importantly - it could have a wider impact on consumers and even the global energy industry.
The consultation has created space to have an honest review of whether UK heat pumps could or should be set to much higher standards of Minimum Energy Performance standards (MEPs).
Within the consultation is the acknowledgement that manufacturers have models which hover on the lower end of achievable performance. Raising the benchmark for MEPs would according to DESNZ ;
"Remove the the least energy and resource efficient products from the market."
Why Consumers Don't Care About Standards
If MEPs are raised from their current ratings, will it make a difference? There are a few, very influential voices in the heat pump sector who have demonstrated heat pumps can operate at incredible levels of efficiency;
'Heat Geek' Adam Chapman Explains Heat Pump Efficiency
With millions of UK homes not even achieving Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or above, the hope of running a pump with this efficiency is a long way off.
If you scrutinise whether customers actually want an efficient heat pump you'll come up against a problem. There's hardly any data.
Here's what we do know. For consumers who want a heat pump in their home, they might be, (like they do in the DESNZ consultation paper) be directed to the Micro Certification Scheme directory.
This directory is a detailed list of approved heat pumps which can be installed in the UK by certified installers.
The directory as of 1st Jan 2025 has 2,869 heat pumps listed.
If you look at the directory, it's organised in an unhelpful, non user friendly drop down experience, alphabetically, with no option to search via SCOP values, flow temperature or other performance ratings.
The difficult to navigate layout does not offer consumers and easy to digest solution to discovering if the heat pump they've been recommended to buy somewhere in their retrofit journey really does what they want.
Various apps and software providers have been trying to simplify the process of evaluating what heat pump might work for a home, but making the directory lists easier to use at MCS might help them along that journey.
Ultimately research by Citizens Advice published this month (January 2025) shows that 1 out of 2 home owners show not interest at all in heat pumps as a solution for the energy use in their home.
The deciding factor. Cost. Not just of installation, but the perceived cost of running the units.
This where some of the improvements being highlighted in the government consultation paper might start having an effect. If they are actioned - then publicised.
Boiler Installations 2035
According do data gathered by the government, they are expecting there to be over 10 million new boiler installations required up until the phase out date of gas boilers in the UK.
With heating accounting for 22% of all carbon emissions as recently as 2022, it's imperative we accelerate the rate of conversions of properties from green house gas energy sources. The electrification of heating faces challenges.
There is a concern for many people that their gas heating boilers are much cheaper to run than the perceived cost of heat pumps, easier to maintain and quite simply they are a known entity.
An added concern for government is energy security. GHG energy is liable to market fluctuations and the boiler installations that take place, tie in consumers to energy prices that the UK government has no direct control over.
Heat Pump Manufacture - A Question of Quality
The MEPS for heat pumps currently are tied to a calculation of their performance against their rating for temperature of operation and the efficiency with which they use Primary Energy.
By: Hannah Ritchie
The heat pumps are tested for the MEPS at the following temperatures;
Low Temperature: Tested for MEPS at 35ºC
Medium Temperature: Tested for MEPS at 55ºC
High Temperature: Tested for MEPS at 65ºC
The consultation is only suggesting a minor switch of MEPS at each of the test operating temperatures, for low temperature and medium temperature pumps and setting a verifiable standard for high temperature pumps.
That is in part to reflect the changes in the UK power Grid and reflect the mix of energy coming from Primary Energy sources i.e. as we have more renewable energy on the grid, our grid is becoming more efficient because of the change in the Primary Energy Factor, so our heat pumps performance standards need to reflect that.
Effects On The UK Heat Pump Market
If the MEPS are changed in mid 2026, as suggested in the consultation, manufacturers who want to provide heat pumps to British customers will have to adhere to the the new standards. That means our heat pumps will be some of the most efficient (before installation) of any in the European market.
We can introduce these standards 12 months faster than the forecast changes in the European Union. Their legislation is slower.
This stimulus will create a demand for higher specification pumps in a consumer base which has received a significant amount of public investment.
And it will future proof us against European standards and make us the most lucrative market in the region.
Don't Forget Cylinders
Hot water cylinder stratification. The separation of warm water at different heights according to temperature, is a significant measure which increases the economy and efficiency of the provision of hot water from our cylinders. Combined with a heat pump operating at a higher benchmark of MEPS this could make low temperature systems mega efficient.
Heat Geek Adam Chapman explains how to make your cylinder efficient
But there's a catch.
If the coil in a cylinder is too small, the performance advantage is dramatically reduced.
The government want to know, if coil size is so important, should we set minimum requirements for cylinder coils?
Should stratification be built into ecodesign requirements for cylinders?
Not All Cylinders Are Created Equal
Disinformation, obfuscation, smoke and mirrors. Anyone who advises on renewables, installs or sells heat pumps knows there's a ton of objections you have to run through with consumers.
Much of this comes from poor messaging and confusing signals from our peers and the media. (and some lobbying from the usual suspects....)
So can we we make it easier to navigate?
Could clear labelling on cylinders make it easy for consumers to choose heat pump compatible units?
Heating Control - The Babel Question
To make our heat pump sector even more competitive. Heating controls would be easier to integrate if they all spoke the same language. Not just English obs.
With operation programmes operating on eBus, EMS Bus, Opentherm and HT Bus there is room for regulation to demand future programmes operate on an open protocol.
A concern might be that open source controls could reduce the functionality of some systems. The debate on this is still live but if you are an installer you could have your input influence the decision now.
Making The UK Great
The consultation for heat pump performance, cylinders and labelling is open now closes at 11:59pm on 25 March 2025.
If we want to see our sector operating at levels that match and surpass European standards. We could be leading the way in adoption rates by 2027.
Make your voice heard.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero