British Gas, has announced that it will guarantee the lowest quote for heat pump installations, matching any price offered by another company for a MCS credited installation.
Currently, British Gas prices start at £2,999 for a standard air source heat pump of up to 7Kw and a standard cylinder with a capacity up to 200L, as well as mechanical and electrical installation.
If however, a customer finds a lower installation price, the energy and home services provider confirmed that it will match that price.
The scheme was influenced by the organisation’s Gas Net Zero Index, which found that only 14% of homeowners said that they would replace their existing boiler with a heat pump and illustrated a general uncertainty surrounding low-carbon heating options.
To help explicate heat pumps and their installation process, Energy Systems Catapult released its , ‘Heat pump talk’ guide earlier this year, which is designed to answer frequently asked questions from throughout the installation timeline.
“Heat pumps are an essential part of the UK’s journey towards a decarbonised future. We recognise that many households are being cautious with their spending in the current climate and want to do all we can to make this technology more affordable – so that those customers who can make the move to low carbon heating feel compelled to do so now,” said managing director of British Gas Net Zero, Andrew Middleton.
“Supporting our customers in lowering their emissions at home is at the forefront of our plans and we need to make sure it is affordable and accessible so that no one is left behind. We are committed to working with governments, regulators and legislators to ensure we have the right policies and frameworks in place to achieve this. Our engineers have installed over 8,000 electric car charging points, have installed over 2,300 heat pumps and are improving insulation and providing solar panels around the country each day.”
Heat pumps are receiving growing support from the energy sector as one of the most efficient methods of decarbonising heat, with a number of projects and schemes emerging to help support the rise of heat pump installations in the UK.
In December last year, the ‘Electrification of Heat’ Demonstration Project funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), installed 742 heat pumps in a range of households to illustrate that heat pumps are suitable across a wide range of housing types.
Additionally, a new training academy to upskill heat pump installers was announced by EDF Energy, CB Heating and Daiken.
Although data from European Heat Pump Association showed UK heat pump installations tripling to over 42,779 in 2021, the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit warned that these figures are still not high enough as the UK lags behind European heat pump installation rates.
