Here in the UK a heat pump disaster is unfolding because the government are pushing hard to get people to install them, yet despite this very few are doing so. The main problem is the cost and also the great disruption to the home with the necessity to replace radiators and pipe-work. There is also more insulation required in many cases. So, faced with all this the public are reluctant.
There is also another issue - that the government has not ruled out the possibility that hydrogen may be used to replace natural gas (methane). If that was available as an alternative then I am sure nearly everyone would opt for it, as most gas boilers can be adapted to run on hydrogen and all the radiators and pipe-work would remain the same.
The question is - when will the government make the decision as to whether this is going to happen and when and where? The longer the government delays the longer the public will hold off from deciding as well. Currently hydrogen is being used in small trials of 100 houses and there are plans to go to larger trials if this is successful. But this is likely to take some years. Then there is the cost and availability of hydrogen. Hydrogen does not exist in any quantity underground, so it has to be manufactured and stored.
Either way the people will have to pay. Read more about this here:
According to this survey, a strong majority of Brits like their heat pumps. there is world wide transition from fossil fuels happening. Things will not be smooth and there will be cranky people. There will also be people who refuse to believe AGW is a dangerous thing. It requires patience and persistence to make this necessary transition work.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/30/heat-pumps-more-than-80-per-cent-of-households-in-great-britain-satisfied-with-system
Heat pumps: more than 80% of households in Great Britain ‘satisfied with system’
Exclusive: England, Scotland and Wales survey reports similar response to people with gas boilers
Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent
Tue 30 May 2023 01.00 EDT
More than 80% of households that have replaced their gas boilers with an electric heat pump are satisfied with their new heating system, according to the first major survey of heat pump users.
Those who use heat pumps to warm their homes reported broadly similar levels of satisfaction to those with gas boilers, the survey commissioned by the innovation charity Nesta found.
Satisfaction levels were also similar between respondents who installed a heat pump in a new-build home or in older properties, at more than 80%, despite persistent concerns that heat pumps are only effective in modern buildings.
The survey of more than 2,500 domestic heat pump owners and more than 1,000 domestic gas boiler owners in England, Scotland and Wales over the last winter is thought to be the largest investigation into how households have responded to heat pumps to date.
You have made no comment on the alternative proposal of using hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas (methane). The issue about the cost of installing heat pumps and the disruption is also a key consideration for most people.
DeleteWe do use hydrogen in the process of making gasoline. But that is making it out of natural gas. Green hydrogen costs a lot at this point. At $1.5 per kg is the supposed green hydrogen break point for economic usability. At this point and time heat pumps are the better way out. You can leave the boiler system intact and just use it as a back up in case something goes wrong with the heat pump.
DeleteIt is the FF companies that are selling the idea of green hydrogen. Right now the price point is too high to be pragmatic.
I have brought this up before on this blog site. My wife and I installed a heat pump in our cottage in Michigan in the United States. We changed from based board heat to heating with a heat pump only. For us, we need to be able to change the heat setting with wifi, so that the heat can be controlled from our home town 116 miles away. 186 kilometers. This works well for us and is very convenient. My wife has been saving the past electric bills from our cottage. There is a clear difference in electricity usage and cost over the similar time periods of previous years in favor of the heat pump.
ReplyDeleteSome people react negatively to changes in society. That is to be expected in this kind of necessary change we are going through. I hope that the people who are having these reactions can eventually see necessity of this change. AGW has some pretty nasty consequences if we don't change.
Please address the key disadvantage of cost and disruption to the home of installation. What about hydrogen?
ReplyDelete