Going Green: Help planet go green by installing a heat pump

The good news is that heat pumps are a great alternative – they’re clean, widely available and upto three times more efficient than gas boilers. And heat pumps are gaining in popularity thanks to generous government incentives and improved standards to install them in new build homes.

What is a heat pump?

A heat pump acts like a fridge but in reverse. There are different types, such as ground source heat pumps but the most popular is an air-source pump which essentially moves heat by extracting warmth from the outside air – even when it's freezing – and transfers it indoors to heat your home.

Heat pumps can achieve efficiencies of more than 200 per cent, thanks to their ability to transfer more energy than they consume. These amazing levels of efficiency can lead to savings on energy bills over time especially when combined with home insulation measures.

The total number of heat pump sales last year was just under 100,000, according to the Heat Pump Association (HPA). Although this is below the government's target of 600,000 a year by 2028, it’s a huge 63 per cent increase over 2023.

Visit https://www.heatpumps.org.uk/record-year-for-uk-heat-pump-sales-and-training/#:~:text=New%20data%20from%20the%20Heat,in%20the%20UK%20in%202024 website.

This shows that the country is on the right trajectory, but given there are 29 million homes, the government and energy industry need to speed up the transition away from fossil fuel heating systems.

Other countries have made big strides in adopting heat pump technology. For instance, Sønderborg, a town in Denmark, launched "Project Zero" in 2007 with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2029. A key component of the initiative is the widespread use of heat pumps, which has already led to a 66 per cent reduction in emissions between 2007 and 2023.

Visit https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/denmark-sonderborg-clean-energy-climate-change-times-earth-7bgzch2z8 website.

Making the switch more affordable

A key barrier to adopting heat pumps is the upfront cost which is higher than a traditional gas boiler. To address this, the government runs the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, offering a grant of £7,500 in England and Wales to make the switch. This is free money that doesn’t need to be paid back to upgrade your home. Scotland has its own Grant and Loan scheme.

As well as government incentives, some energy providers like EDF and Octopus offer special tariffs for heat pump users, giving consumers the chance to make more savings.

Switching to a heat pump reduces your carbon footprint. Heat pumps produce zero emissions locally, and their overall environmental benefit is improving as more electricity is generated from renewable resources. 2024 was the first year where wind rather than gas was the biggest source of power in the UK.

Although the benefits are clear, some consumers struggle to find experienced contractors to install heat pumps. But as with electric cars, the more popular they become the more companies will invest in training. They are no noisier than a fridge and some models can work in reverse to help cool homes in summer.

The generous government BUS grant and environmental gains make installing a heat pump a great decision to future-proof your home.

Celebrity spot

Jane Goodall has worked for decades on the research of chimpanzees and on forest conservation. Through her Roots & Shoots program, she helps young people engage in eco-friendly projects, and through her work as a UN Messenger of Peace she promotes sustainable living, reforestation, and wildlife protection. At age 89, she continues to raise awareness and promote understanding of the challenges the environment faces.

Green swap

Look for biodegradable pots instead of plastic when buying new plants for your garden. They can go straight into the ground, reducing the shock the plant experiences, and they decompose in the soil naturally.

How climate change drives up your insurance costs

Global warming is making the world a more unpredictable place by causing increasing and severe storms, floods and wildfires.

With the increased risk of having to settle the large numbers of claims associated with these extreme weather events, insurance companies are increasing the cost of coverage for homes and businesses.

The UK has seen a surge in weather catastrophes in recent years, leading to unprecedented numbers of insurance claims.

Flooding poses an especially huge threat in Britain, with over six million properties at risk across the country – a number that's expected to rise to one in four homes as extreme weather becomes even more commonplace.

In 2024 alone, insurers paid out a record £585 million for weather-related damage in the UK, surpassing the previous record in 2023 by an incredible £77 million.

This spike was directly caused by 12 ‘named’ storms in the 2023-24 season. They led to over 38,000 flood-related insurance claims, amounting to insured losses of over £560 million.

Escalating claims directly impact premiums and the average annual cost of combined building and contents home insurance has risen by £55 (16 per cent) in 2024 reaching £395.

Visit https://www.standard.co.uk/business/money/storms-and-flooding-took-record-toll-on-insurance-claims-in-2024-abi-b1210170.html website.

For homeowners in high-risk areas, securing affordable flood insurance can be challenging. The Flood Re scheme, introduced in 2016, aims to help at-risk homes get coverage, but it only applies to domestic properties built before 2009.

This leaves thousands of homeowners in vulnerable areas facing higher premiums or not able to get any flood coverage at all.

Increasing business and car insurance

Businesses aren't immune to climate change impacts either. In 2024, commercial properties filed £443 million in weather-related claims, and beyond property damage, businesses could encounter increased premiums for business interruption insurance – especially if they operate in sectors that are prone to climate risks, like construction.

Motorists are feeling the effects too. Flooded roads and storm debris have led to a rise in vehicle damage claims and the increased frequency of claims is pushing premiums higher for drivers.

Visit https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2024/4/weather-damage-insurance-claims-worst-on-record/ website.

How can we lower the risk?

Investments in flood defences, improved resilience in infrastructure, and better building practices will help limit damage from climate impacts and therefore the cost of extreme weather.

And individual homeowners can take practical steps too, like installing flood barriers and doors, and using water-resistant building materials, particularly on ground floor or basements. Ensuing carpets are laid upstairs only and appliances are raised off the ground BeFloodReady – Property Flood Resilience (PFR) | Helping Reduce Flood Risk

Signing up to Environment Agency alerts and having a plan is important such as moving valuables upstairs.

If you’re worried about flooding, the charity One Home has plenty of useful advice to help you prevent flood damage to your home.

Fact or fiction

‘Peat bogs store more CO2 than forests’.

FACT.

Peatlands are huge carbon sinks, estimated to store more than twice the carbon of the world’s forests. Scottish peatlands alone store 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon – or 140 years' worth of Scotland's total annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Visit https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/peatlands-store-twice-much-carbon-all-worlds-forests#:~:text=Peatlands%20are%20a%20type%20of,“Wetlands%20and%20climate%20change” website.