The retrofit of building fabric energy efficiency measures goes hand in hand with the installation of an air source heat pump (ASHP). ASHPs can be installed within permitted development rights. With the recent scrapping of the 1-metre rule from boundaries, it’s easier than ever to have one. What’s more, the £7,500 grant to contribute towards the cost of a heat pump via the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme was due to end this year, but has received additional funding extending it to 2028.
While there is a growing opinion that we should install heat pumps directly into our properties without any fabric improvements due to cost and technical challenges alongside the decarbonisation of the grid, we would generally advocate a fabric first approach. Without addressing the fabric, energy bills can soar as electricity is currently four times the cost of gas, while the coefficient of performance of heat pumps is somewhere between 2 and 4 (i.e. for each unit of electricity used, they produce 2 to 4 units of heat).
As specialist architects, we understand low energy retrofit, when it’s appropriate to install a heat pump, and the planning and technical issues that arise. Get in touch with us if you have a project in mind.