- cross-posted to:
- climate@slrpnk.net
- energy@slrpnk.net
- cross-posted to:
- climate@slrpnk.net
- energy@slrpnk.net
Experts from a “nudge unit” have been hired to help ministers fight misinformation about heat pumps to try to encourage take-up of the devices.
The appliances run on electricity instead of gas and are regarded as a way of decarbonising homes at scale. A target of installing 600,000 a year by 2028 is part of a drive to achieve Britain’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050.
However, misinformation shared in the media and by “other stakeholders” is impeding uptake, according to a £100,000 government contract awarded to the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), which specialises in ideas to “nudge” the public into taking different actions.
The contract awarded to BIT contains details of a previously unpublished research by the Department for Energy.
It found that individuals who self-reported that they knew a fair amount or a lot about heat pumps were less likely to want one. However, people who correctly answered a simple knowledge question about heat pumps were more likely to want one.
BIT is finalising a large survey of householders’ views and coverage in the media that will be used in planning how the government will push back against misinformation.
“Information about heat pumps is being shared by the media and stakeholders, which may be skewed to negative, incorrect or exaggerated stories of heat pump adoption,” says the contract, which cites examples including claims that the pumps are noisy, cost too much to install and are not reliable and don’t work in older homes.
Articles about heat pumps in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph were cited in the document, which states that some of these stories “are generally well-founded, such as believing that heat pumps are expensive” but adds that some include incorrect misconceptions, such as believing they might not work well in the cold.
“Online information which is imbalanced or skewed towards incorrect and exaggerated claims could be considered an environment where misinformation is a problem,” it reads.
You must log in or # to comment.
I finally had the chance to use a modern heat pump and they are FANTASTIC, I have only seen it in heating mode but even with very low temps it was very warm and cozy.
Articles about heat pumps in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph were cited in the document, which states that some of these stories “are generally well-founded, such as believing that heat pumps are expensive” but adds that some include incorrect misconceptions, such as believing they might not work well in the cold.
I haven’t blocked those two from my newsfeed and the constant drizzle of anti-EV news is enlightening. Makes you wonder whose agenda they are promoting pushing back against important green initiatives.
The world economy has a really scary event ahead of it, and many are doing whatever they can to avoid it. The event is the change from an oil based world economy to an electricity based one. It’s scary for a number of reasons.
- A number of industries are based off the drilling, refining, transporting and sale of oil and gas based products. All of those industries become basically worthless. Additionally any manufacture of goods that consume oil based products (e.g. cars) that need to pivot at much cost.
- Electricity generation is much more diverse than oil production. Anywhere between the tropics can generate from the sun with abandon. Costal countries have wind and tidal sources. Mountainous regions can use hydro, volcanic - geothermal. All of this takes power away from the oil producing nations. Nations will become much more self sufficient. The middle east loses much of its importance. Russia is toast. America takes a hit.
- The dollar is the fiat currency of the world because of oil. This no longer needs to be true.
- The loss of trading oil as a commodity will destabilise markets. Electricity is not traded in commodity markets. It’s mainly traded in highly regulated closed auctions, or between national bodies.
- Renewables will hit a point where we have large amounts of cheap plentiful energy. This will be deflationary on a global scale. All goods are transported and cheap transportation means prices should go down. The alternative is that gains are taken as profits and would be highly inflationary. Either way - destabilising.
Renewable energy is going to change the world. A lot of (currently) powerful people are terrified.
Things, economics now is favour of green. Not just to avoid a future no one wants, but because to be green is cheaper and better, today.
I’m sure there’s still going to be a huge need for oil based products but I agree the world economy is going to see some huge changes to it. Idk what we will replace oil with, if we ever can, plastics make up so much of everything but overall oil use will decline when it’s not used as fuel for everything mechanical.
Certainly going to be some interesting times we’ll be living through as we march towards the cyberpunk dystopia.
I think plastics will be the last refuge of oil, but that will be such a smaller market than it currently is. I’m hopeful that other materials will replace them in a lot of cases, but I doubt it will be everything.
I think we are in the cyberpunk dystopia today. I hope we are heading for a solarpunk future. Green tech is now cheap effective tech. Open technology is taking over more and more. Most people just don’t see that because the bit they interact with is wrapped with closed.
The problems of massive international monopolies is also economic one of lack of innovation and price competition. The problem of inequality so bad the rich can basically buy countries elections, is also economic one. At the other end of it, people can’t buy well, and are stuck in the “Sam Vimes’s boots problem”, which is bad economics. It’s “lost opportunity cost” to have to waste money like that. Same with “right to repair”, it’s rubbish for citizen and society to have to not be able to repair. Etc etc
Where the economics leads is more solarpunk than today. 😃
the energy sector and russia frequently are very well aligned
It might take quite a bit of wondering to work out specifically who, but I think you can gather the general gist of whose agenda they’re promoting without too much wondering :)
Oh I’ve got a good general idea but I’d love to know the specifics - are they doing it to be contrarians or because it’s a fairly well-accepted Tory press narrative or are think tanks funded by fossil fuel companies giving them “press releases” or “talking points” that a “journalist” then reworks into what passes for an “article”?
Yeah, I’d like to actually know, rather than just guess. I always felt it might merely be a case of “it’s the sort of thing liked by the type of people we don’t like”.
To be fair, I’m doing exactly the same thing back at them.
I know everything I need to know about heat pumps.
I live in a flat. I am literally not allowed to install anything outside for a proper split.
There is no location in my small property where noise would not disturb sleep or the general enjoyment of being here. So even with permission an air source pump is not viable.
I’d need permission to install a ground source unit outside which wouldn’t be impossible.
But then it’s likely to be got the whole building as that would be the most efficient.
I’m not sharing an energy bill for heating with my neighbours. My consumption is low.
There are millions like me in this country.
What I would install is an electric boiler. Essentially inductive or resistive heat.
Which is half as efficient as a heat pump. But I’d have control of my bill and with the consumption for a single person flat the long term expense of installing and maintaining a heat pump eat into any efficiency savings they have.
The only thing stopping me is gas is cheaper per kW because we’re burning gas to make electricity at a ~45% efficiency compared to a 90% efficiency of piping it here to be turned directly into heat.
Cut fossil fuels out of the electricity supply. Then I’ll install an electric boiler. Until then I’ll burn gas more efficiently here.
Heat pumps work for those with outside space. Those who have luxuries.
Electric cars work for those with driveways. More outside space. More luxury.
I could buy into that luxury soon enough. I will upgrade my property at some point. But it’s not going to solve any climate change issues unless they solve the issue for everyone, not just the middle class and upwards.
The government need to stop burning gas for electricity. When they do I’ll probably be paying more for energy, but the poorest can use the same infrastructure and be subsidised.
Renewables, grid storage, reasonably priced charging with on street chargers near everyone’s homes. We’ll all be able to go carbon free.
Heat pumps are part of the solution, but really they’re the smallest part. They only offer an efficiency saving over resistive heating. The cost is noise pollution, maintenance cost, space, and complexity.
I don’t take the government’s climate targets seriously when heat pumps are their main policy.
Pretty much, heat pumps will help but they’re a laughably small thing to be focusing on so much.
Unfortunately nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives
The UK is so ignorant of heat pumps it is shocking. It’s willful ignorance where people know better than the experts. Same with induction hobs.
Having lived in Aus and NZ. Heat pumps and induction is by far superior technology.
This is not to say the UK doesn’t have a drastic issue with insulation. But that’s a separate matter.
There is no excuse for all new builds being mandated with heat pumps and induction today.
The weirdness about induction hobs does my head in.
I’m fitting one in the new kitchen, and I’m looking forward to being able to boil shit really fast while not having naked flames.
Insulation is shocking in Australia though. Even new buildings don’t really do double or triple glazing.
Hmmn, the version of England that i live in is filled with cheapskates and incompetence.
I remember the uk govt having to rapidly rewrite a whole section of the the MCS to address heatpumps. due to widespread under sizing, and poor installation / system design. Sure you can get quiet ones, if you pay even more.
The govt and the HP manufactures like to do their CBA on a “best case”, “minimum viable spec”, herioc assumptions about insulation/remedial work, and minimal retrofit costs. Oh sure they “can be quiet”; but what price was assumed in the CBA? not the “silent” model that costs a few £k more.
Whole new build estates were built with inadequate systems - there’s no excuse for not getting the sizing right on such a development as the overhead of an engineer is nothing, but of course they cheaped out; save £5k cost per house. Fuck the buyer ; they can pay for all the rework, and all the immersion heater uptime in the meanwhile.
It is totally reasonable to warn people of cost overruns, poor performance and massive remedial work with heat pump installs in England since inadequate installs and uderspec systems have happened and will continue to happen whenever a customer chooses the midpoint estimate. You need to tell them get at least 5 quotes and expect to pay the second highest or something. And they need to be vigilant that they actually get the output spec that they pay for.
If they tell people these things are “cheap”, then many peple will think that means they can take a cheap quote. It’s true that they can work, but the system needs to be designed and sized right - and this is likely to mean an awful lot more expense than a gas boiler that peple are used to.
I saw a youtube video where they remediated an inadequate install - they basically doubled the power rating, and installed several extra bits and pieces, must have been at least double the original cost - but they never gave the cost of the new system or the remedial work. This makes me very suspicious they just threw £30+K worth of stuff at the video as an advertising cost.
Re: Paying extra for quiet Heat pumps
Is air conditioning not a thing where you live?
A heatpump is virtually identical to an air conditioner. A heat pump is an air conditioner with a reversing valve that generates no additional noise.
If you look on a map, the southernmost part of the UK is north of Nova Scotia and at the same latitude as the Netherlands. Air conditioning is not a normal thing over there.
Though, thanks to global warming, it’s starting to be used more and more.
Latitude isn’t everything. The North Atlantic Current causes Europe to be warmer than an equivalent latitude in North America.
You’re right, but Ireland, which is closer to the current while still being at the southern end of the UK, seems to see average summer high temps of 18-19 Celsius, based on a quick search. That’s only like the mid-60s (Farenheit).
Actually, talking about it now, I know air conditioning is rare in the UK because I remember a few years ago, there was a major heatwave that caused a number of heat related deaths in the UK due to the lack of air conditioning in housing to control the high temperature and humidity, and it was only like 75 F.
Air conditioning in private housing in England? To use it for one week in a year when the temperature actually goes over 20 degrees?
Air to air heat pumps are a thing even in the UK:
Air-to-air heat pumps are sometimes referred to as air conditioning. While many people think of air conditioning as a way of cooling buildings, it can also be used for heating.
…
In the UK, air-to-air heat pumps aren’t typically used for heating larger homes. Air source heat pumps are most common in the UK. More often, air-to-air heat pumps are installed in smaller properties, such as flats and park homes.
https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/air-to-air-heat-pumps/
What is the difference between an air-to-air heat pump and an air conditioner?
Nothing
…
Units that both heat and cool the air are more commonly known as air-to-air heat pumps, whereas units that only have a cooling function are known as air conditioners. Demand for units that can heat as well as cool is taking off, and people are finding that air-to-air heat pumps are the perfect solution for their homes.
I had heat pumps installed in my 100-year-old seafront house in 2009, with air-to-air systems – outside units connected with highly controllable indoor heaters – in three of the four flats. Why are systems like this – relatively cheap to install and run, and easy to manage, requiring no plumbing because they don’t use radiators – so often ignored? Your article on air-source heat pumps doesn’t even mention them (Are heat pumps more expensive to run than gas boilers?, 13 May).
My experience of air-to-air heaters has been brilliant; they are not only cheap to run, but they also work as air conditioners on hot days. I heat water separately, without hot water cylinders; the water is heated only when the hot tap is turned on, so there’s minimal waste of energy.
In my middle flat, I thought an air-to-air system would be impractical, so I had an air-to-water system installed, with radiators. It has proved much more expensive to run and more troublesome to maintain. The heat pump itself is brilliant; the problems are with the control systems and the fact that hot water has to be stored at a higher temperature than the heat pump produces, which requires the use of direct heating in the hot water cylinder. Had I known this when I bought the system – which was expensive, despite the grant – I would never have had it installed.
Please let your readers know: air-to-air heat pump systems, involving no water or radiators, are wonderful.
Arabella Melville
Pwllheli, GwyneddI ran those past a friend who is a building services engineer who said it’s all straightforward, it’s just air conditioning where you reverse the refrigeration cycle. It’s promoted less because the concern is that people would run it during the summer too for the more standard “comfort cooling” (opposed to air-to-water/air source heat pumps that largely run when it is cold) and so use more energy. Not an issue if backed up with solar panels and/or green electricity but a worry at the moment. It has added advantages, as it can reduce humidity too, which would sort out problems with mould and the like.
Did you mean to reply to someone else?
Nope. You said air conditioning wasn’t that useful in private houses in the UK when it is becoming a bigger deal, usually sold as air-to-air heat pumps.
I was replying to a guy asking if we don’t have air conditioning in the UK houses.
And we increasingly do, but it’s under the label air-to-air heat pumps, but it’s an air conditioning unit that is being used to warm air, not just cool it. My friend installs a lot of industrial air conditioning and says there is essentially no difference just marketing.
Essex seems to need AC. 20+ days a year of over 28.
https://news.sky.com/story/very-hot-30c-days-treble-in-uk-met-office-finds-13183840
Paint me stunned. That must be an exception to the rule.
I never cease to be amused at how the English continue to be surprised that “summer happens” every year.
Oh, I don’t question summer happening. It usually starts Wednesday around 11am and is over by Sunday evening.
In 2022 there were heat waves of over 40 that caused a national emergency.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_United_Kingdom_heatwaves
Nobody has aircon in the UK! Hotels and extremely high spec flats only.
Like others have said, you’d only need it for about 1 week per year, so why bother?
Until there is a way to prosecute lying on the internet this misinformation problem will not go away. I can’t wait until there is a workable answer to this.
They haven’t even tackled lying in television programs that advertise themselves as “news”, and television is controlled by the FCC. Granted, those are the propaganda arms of the oligarchy, but still!
I think you might be in the wrong sub.
Heat pumps definitely have their benefits, I have one myself. I just wonder what comes. Like where I live there was a big push for heat pumps and solar, but then the prices soared. And the rules have changed to make even solar cost more to simply have.
