Households can now calculate the cost of switching their existing system to a heat pump, thanks to a new online tool from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Through simply inputting your home’s postcode into the heat pump checker, you can find out the estimated up-front cost of switching to a heat pump, along with any other energy efficiency upgrades that may be required beforehand.
While this is a valuable new service, the new tool lays bare the challenges facing rural homes in the move towards decarbonisation in the UK. For an older and poorly insulated home to switch to a heat pump, BEIS’ calculator reveals the cost is likely to exceed £20,000.
As part of its Heat and Buildings Strategy, the government has proposed a ban on the installation of new fossil fuel oil boilers from 2026 and the phasing out of Kerosene in the late 2030s. Instead, rural homes will be expected in most cases to fit heat pumps.
If you’ve entered your postcode into the heat pump checker and are concerned about your results, there is another option.
A fair and affordable route towards green heating...
Renewable liquid fuels such as HVO offer a fair and affordable route towards greener heating for oil heated homes. It costs around £500 to convert your existing oil boiler to run on HVO and will immediately reduce your home’s carbon emissions by almost 90%.
Over 100 properties – from homes to churches and schools – have already switched to HVO as part of our live demonstration project. But we need your help to secure government support for a wider rollout of HVO for home heating.
How to get involved...
1. Share your concerns with your local MP. Whether you live in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, we’ve created a template letter for you to download, update with your thoughts and share with your local representative. If you use the government’s heat pump checker first, you can personalise the letter by including the results for your own home.Download our template letter for your MP, MLA or TD here
2. Complete our survey to share your views on renewable heating options and the incentives which could be introduced to support rural households towards greener heating. Complete the short survey here
3. Sign up to our e-newsletter to receive the latest news and updates on our campaign’s progress, straight to your inbox. Join our mailing list here
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