Knauf Insulation: Loft roll installation guide
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Officials from EDF have urged Britons looking to install heat pumps to first check their EPC rating before going ahead with the green home upgrade. Speaking to Express.co.uk, they noted that by doing so, households can ensure that the heating system is actually efficient, making it worth the high cost of the low-carbon heat pumps. Over the past year, heat pumps have gained prominence in the UK, as the country scrambles to wean itself off natural gas following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the UK has been lagging behind many other European countries when it comes to heat pump installations, which is one of the reasons why energy bills in the UK are so high, despite not importing much gas from Russia.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Philippe Commaret, the Managing Director of Customers at EDF noted that before installing a heat pump, UK homeowners need to ensure their property has a decent EPC rating, otherwise the heat pump may not be efficient.
He noted one of the reasons why the heat pump rollout in the UK has been historically slow compared to the rest of Europe is because gas in the UK has always been extremely cheap thanks to a steady supply from the North Sea.
However, experts have noted that these reserves are now drying up, leading to lower outputs, and increased reliance on imports, particularly from Norway.
He added: “The reality is that today we are importing most of the gas that we consume so its a complete shift and we know that with Russia which has been weaponising energy, it is very important to be sovereign on our own energy and the energy that we can build or generate on our own.”
“The second reason is that UK households are not enough insulated to fit heat pumps. We need huge efforts in insulation to make the UK households ready for heat pumps.
“The insulation problem is a real issue, because the less your house is insulated, the more there will be a leakage of heat. And the more need in fact, to bring in heat in order to heat your house.”
He added that at a certain point, if your house is not insulated enough, installing a heat pump would not be efficient, meaning that households would have spent thousands on a new heating system that would now waste energy.
This is why he said: “The simplest thing in fact is to know what is the EPC of the house. According to the EPC of the house, you will know if the house is performing or not from an energy point of view.”
Even if households are asked to insulate their property and increase their EPC rating first, it would still provide them with massive benefits in the form of lower energy bills.
He said: “If you are at the least efficient houses, you need to first move towards insulating your house. It’s good because if means you can dramatically reduce your energy bills. By just insulating your house you’re going to slash energy bills which is great at the time being.
“But if your house is very efficient, it’s good news as well, because by installing a heat pump, your cost of heating your house will be cheaper than your gas boiler.”
The UK Government has a target rating of EPC band C for all houses, however, Mr Commaret noted that for installing a heat pump, the minium EPC rating depends on the size of the house, adding “I think that’s where our engineers are the best [to advise].”
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To increaase insulation rates across the UK, the Government this week launched a billion pounds scheme to transform UK homes’ energy efficiency – while cutting bills down to size.
Hundreds of thousands of homes will be fitted with insulation, which takes around £310 off the average annual energy cost, in the new ECO+ drive. Those who do not currently benefit from any other government support to update their home will be able to take part in the taxpayer-funded scheme.
The least energy-efficient homes in lower Council Tax bands, as well as the homes of vulnerable people, including those on means-tested benefits, will be targeted for insulation upgrades.
An additional £18million is being spent on a campaign offering advice on how the public can reduce energy use this winter amid the cost-of-living crisis.
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