Air-to-air heat pumps, which can warm homes in winter and cool them in summer, are set to join a low-carbon grant scheme in the UK. The government plans to offer £7,500 to households that replace their gas boiler with these heat pumps. Currently, air-to-air heat pumps are rare in the UK, but they are becoming more popular, especially in public buildings and smaller homes. They use the same principles as traditional heat pumps but heat the air instead of water, making them easier to install and more affordable. However, they do not provide hot water, requiring a separate low-carbon solution. Despite concerns about the impact of cooling on energy demand and carbon targets, experts argue that the carbon savings from using air-to-air heat pumps in winter outweigh the extra carbon demand from cooling in summer. Additionally, the UK’s increasingly green electricity grid and the correlation between high cooling demand and solar power generation can help mitigate the impact of increased cooling demand.
Heat pumps struggle to keep up with Britain’s unpredictable climate.
