Heat pumps 'won't deliver' as gas boiler replacement

摘要

Replacing gas boilers with heat pumps will not work because they are too large, too noisy and do not produce enough heat, the chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said. Heat pumps are expected to be a core part of the government's plan to decarbonise buildings, but the FMB's Brian Berry claimed that they "won't deliver given the current technology". The green heating systems, which work by absorbing heat from the air, would need to be widely adopted in homes following the government's proposed ban on sales of new gas boilers from 2035. But ministers have admitted that it will be a struggle persuading homeowners to install them because they may cost up to £35,000 each, can emit noise that breaches legal limits, and tend to cause significant disruption during installation.