UK homeowners are reluctant to switch to low-carbon heating – our research points to how to change their minds
https://theconversation.com/uk-homeowners-are-reluctant-to-switch-to-low-carbon-heating-our-research-points-to-how-to-change-their-minds-238849
Posted by fungussa
6 Comments
Sadly, it’s a lack of education and the UK’s continued decline. Many British people have never set foot in a science classroom, so they’re susceptible to the likes of the Daily Mail, that demonizes new energy technology as “green” so that the thick/Boomers will be against it. People are insecure and want to lash out. Instead of feeling that they should have been given a decent education, they lash out at those who have one.
There’s a complete lack of awareness/curiosity that people in other countries don’t have exorbitant energy prices and aren’t so heavily dependent on enemies for energy. It’s sad and it’s causing immense pain that Boomers were allowed to get away without updating infrastructure so that they could have decades in retirement and lives of luxury they didn’t earn, but people don’t even seem to care that they’re poorer and less comfortable than people in nearby countries.
The issue I have with ashp is that you need a COP of at least 4 to have the same running cost as gas and for that to happen you need a very well installed and planned system and likely other improvements to insulate the home. Then there is the initial cost of the system which is higher than a direct replacement boiler and you’ve got a lot of risk on the home owner vs just sticking with what they know.
The issue is the environmental cost is not added to the price of gas and we have an underinvested electric grid which renewables and nuclear electricity for homes should be nearly free.
If the government want to force a change they could tax gas more and discount electric but that will really hit families who cannot afford to switch so that and any home upgrades would also need to be funded by the government. OR we need to wait for the COP to increase and the unit cost to reduce to make it a no brainer.
My previous home had a heat pump and it was great; old house with no major insulation aside from loft and cavity wall where possible. Dirt cheap to run shifting hot water to the cheap overnight rate with octopus go.
Just had a brand new unit fitted to my new home by the same installer and it was cheaper than a replacement gas boiler. Sadly people keep telling me I’m going to be cold and don’t believe that I was nice and toasty even when the outdoor temperature was down to -15 a few years ago. May have been true a few years ago or with a poor install, but technology has moved on quite a bit.
Lol no shit !? Anyone see the article about the UK having the highest electric prices in the world ? Without solar panels and a battery ASHP just doesn’t stack up. Even with it , if you need to resize your plumbing replace your rads , build a cupboard for a water tank, etc etc they’re just not economical.
People aren’t going to swap the heating in their house to some other source of heat that makes them poorer and colder in the short to medium term. Just not going to happen.
The UK has it’s largest housing stock for most places as dense, Victorian era terraces.
Particularly in the more deprived areas.
Fuel is expensive, no heating brings bad health, the poor can’t afford heating and so another illness of poverty. The North is also much colder than the South.
Fortunately, free heating is right there. The Victorian coal mines that these towns sit on top of are hot. Just like North Wales is now exploring, the rest of the UK should look at district water heating via mines.
Water goes down and spins a turbines using gravity. The mine makes it hot. The energy from the turbine pumps it up, and then the additional cost is pumping water through pipes in these very dense neighbourhoods. Constant hot water into the homes that need it most. Like free radiators that never go off and are entirely green.
Why we don’t do this is absolutely beyond all reason. The mines are dug, the houses are there, it’s green, free, and helps those which need it most.
We have plenty of water too.