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Climate and science correspondent
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A key planning restriction that heat pumps need to be one metre from a neighbour’s property has been lifted as the government seeks to accelerate the take up of the low-carbon technology.
The change, which is part of the government’s Warm Homes Plan to lower household bills and cut planet warming emissions, means it could be easier for millions of homes in England to have a heat pump installed.
But consumer groups warn that the changes will not help those in rented or leasehold properties and the biggest barrier to installing a heat pump remains the high upfront costs.
This is a particular problem for older housing stock where upgrades to pipework and insulation may also be required.
Most UK homes use gas boilers for their hot water and heating, but this produces up to 14% of the country’s planet warming greenhouse gases.
In comparison, heat pumps use electricity, so as the country moves to generating more electricity from renewable energy sources like solar and wind, they could produce far fewer emissions than boilers.
But switching from a gas boiler to a heat pump is expensive and not straightforward if you live in one of England’s six million terraced homes.
Until Thursday, homeowners needed planning permission if they wanted to put a heat pump within one metre of their neighbour’s property – because of concerns over noise.
Tom Clarke, a gas engineer who recently retrained to fit heat pumps, said having to apply for planning permission had been a barrier
