Heat Pumps. Are they worth it?

We’ve all heard of heat pumps. Politicians have been praising and pushing them for the last couple of years.

Are they what they’re made out to be? Will Scotland changing to them save the planet?

The simple answer to both questions is no.

First, let’s look at what the unelected Patrick Harvie wants to force on us.

He wants all homes to conform to an energy rating of C. If you don’t have that, he plans to ban you from selling your home.

If you already have a C rating, but also have a gas boiler, you’ll be downgraded, and won’t be able to sell. Essentially, your home will become worthless until you do as he orders.

On top of that, he plans on charging higher Council Tax premiums on homes without a C rating.

BUT, the complete hypocrite has a gas boiler in his home, and he doesn’t plan to change that, as he says heat pumps are not suitable for flatted properties.

Have you noticed the flaw above? Most homes in Scotland are flatted properties. So, heat pumps are not suitable for them.

What does he think is going to happen? He thinks there will be District Heating Systems, that will supply hot water and heating. So where are they? Where are they being built, and by whom? Nobody knows. There are some, like Aberdeen City Council has. But they don’t have anywhere near the capacity needed for all flats in the city. They only supply a limited amount of their own properties, not even close to half of them. BUT, that system runs on gas, so isn’t compatible with the insanity being pushed.

Are heat pumps any good?

Yes, in the right property, they can be a very good system. Sadly, 95%+ of properties in Scotland are not suited to them.

Mr Harvie claims that they are the right systems for us, as they’re used in Scandinavian countries (SC), and they’re colder than here. Pushing a simplistic view like this shows how lacking in knowledge he is, or he could just be lying through his teeth, you decide. Given he wants you to believe him, he’s treating you with utter contempt.

In these countries, their building regulations mean they have a minimum of 250mm (10 inches) of all round insulation, triple or even quad glazed windows, amongst other things. This CANNOT be done in existing, older, properties, and most certainly cannot be retro fitted to home designs we have here in Scotland.

Fitting the monstrosities? That brings even more issues. You’ll most likely have to rip out and replace your entire heating and hot water system, as the designs we use are not usually compatible with heat pumps.

Next, you’ll have to very heavily insulate your home.

That’s a total cost of £15,000 to £20,000, and some estimates of up to £35,000, to get your heat pump installed and working.

Will you be able to afford to run one? For most, no. Heat pumps must run 24 hour per day, every day, even in summer. The estimated consumption for that according to a page published by Octopus Energy is 22,000kWh per year. Average gas consumption according to Energy Sage is 17,000kWh per year. The difference is, you can turn down, or turn off a gas boiler if you think you’re using too much, out at work, on holiday, etc, but not a heat pump. You’re locked into massive energy use.

The cost of gas per kWh is around £0.074 (7.4p), so a running cost per year of £1,258.

The current cost of 1kWh of electric is around £0.28 (28p). 22,000kWh equals a running cost per year of £6,160 for the year. Can you afford to pay up to 4.9 times more for heating and hot water than you do now? Mr Harvie doesn’t have to worry, as he has a job for life as a list (unelected) MSP, and earns £67,662 per year basic, but with his ministerial position, that rises to £99,516.

(Prices and salaries above are from December 2023).

Are there alternatives? Yes, as mentioned above, there’s district heating systems. But would take decades for these to be planned, built, and commissioned. Not the few years Mr Harvie thinks.

There’s also all electric combi-boilers. These are extremely efficient, and can be connected directly to any heating/water system a gas boiler can. With better insulated homes, they’re a superb alternative. Sadly, they only give grants for heat pumps, not electric boilers.

Conclusion?

We’re being lied to by all concerned. Heat pumps are not suitable for Scotland, and extremely expensive to run.

Even the owner of a heat pump manufacturing company has come out and said they’re not suitable for our buildings and climate.

Lord William Haughey owns and operates a company that makes these machines.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/gloves-off-patrick-harvie-starts-30611661

To date, Mr Harvie has declined the invitation to bring his technical advisors and debate the issue with Lord Haughey. I wonder why?

His plans will crash the housing market. A market he’s said in the past he hates. Could crashing it be his real goal? He’s a self-confessed Marxist, and in Marxism, there’s no such thing as personal property.