Move From Fabric First Is Wrong

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A technical manager for a company commissioning heat pumps, Heatly, has called for caution when it comes to promoting the idea that they should be installed regardless of a property's energy efficiency credentials.

Paul Spence says: "A move away from ‘fabric first' is a step in the wrong direction.”

He continues: “Following a new report from Nesta, (entitled ‘Insulation impact: how much do UK houses really need?’) which suggests making homes as energy efficient as possible, is not an essential part of the UK's current stage in the heat pump roll out, I urge installers and heat pump customers to not take this as a cue to view energy efficiency upgrades as less important.

“Ripping out fossil fuel heating and replacing it with cleaner, greener heat pumps will reduce the UK's carbon footprint. However, the reality is that for most people, comfort and the cost-of-living feature far higher on their agenda than cutting carbon.

Reputational harm

“I am a big fan of heat pumps – as an installer and now as technical manager for Heatly. However, the idea that we should move improvement of the UK's woefully damp and draughty housing stock lower down the list in favour of banging in heat pumps as quickly as possible is a nonsense. This approach could serve to dent the reputation of heat pumps and ignores the consumers on gas that simply aren't in a position to make the switch.”

False economy

Spence adds: “As an installer and through my Facebook group, I see first-hand the problems that arise when heat pumps are installed in very inefficient homes. One of the main problems is over-specification, which leads to higher costs and future problems. If heat loss is high, the size of the heat pump required to keep a building warm, increases. The bigger the heat pump, the more expensive it is. If, in the future, the homeowner makes energy efficiency upgrades, the heat pump and ancillaries (pipes, circulators, pumps etc.) can end up being over-specified, leading to systems that use too much power and are difficult to control.”

Nesta

In Nesta's report it states: ‘While insulation plays an important role in reducing heat demand and can in some cases make heat pumps operate more efficiently, it is not the key factor in heat pump efficiency’.

Spense says: “This type of thinking masks poor housing and poor heat pump installation by economics. We should be striving for a future where COP 4+ is the norm, which can't be achieved without a whole house approach.”

Heatly

Heatly is a new App currently in development, set to simplifying and speed-up process such as room surveying and heat loss calculations, while providing greater clarity for consumers, including the ability to see how measures such as insulation will have an impact on their energy bills.

Picture: Paul Spence of Heatly says fabric first should always come first in improving the energy efficiency of UK homes.

www.heatly.com

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
01st February 2024

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