The future of Britain's green home revolution could hinge on one thing - the price of electricity. A new report from Mitsubishi Electric warns that unless power costs are reduced, millions of homeowners will be unable or unwilling to make the switch from gas boilers to low-carbon air source heat pumps. Despite growing public concern about climate change and strong interest in greener heating, electricity remains far more expensive than gas, creating a financial barrier that could derail the country's net-zero ambitions.
This Labour government is all in on action to tackle the climate crisis because it is the way to secure better lives for people in Britain today and protect future generations tomorrow. This plan sets out the ambitious actions we have taken in our first 15 months unleashing investment, creating jobs, rebuilding our energy security. Meanwhile, our political opponents have embarked down an anti-jobs, anti-science path that would spell disaster for our economy, our security and our planet.
IKEA has long been known for transforming how we furnish our homes, now it wants to help power them too. The retail giant has unveiled a brand-new Home Energy Services range in the UK, featuring solar panels, heat pumps, home batteries and EV chargers designed to make sustainable living simpler and more accessible. Partnering with renewable energy experts Aira and Soly, IKEA says its latest offering could help households cut both emissions and energy bills while making the switch to greener technology effortless.
From the very beginning, we wanted to design the systems to be able to be continuously improved, updated over the air. It's a pattern that's happened in EVs and gotten a lot of traction, but no one had really done that before in HVAC,
They're exploding in popularity, but is the investment the right choice for the way you live your life? Net-Zero Dads. That's what The Economist dubbed the middle-aged men who obsess over how their heat pumps, electric cars and solar PV panels work. Indeed, sharing the jargon-filled specs of your favourite climate toy with your neighbours is the new 'keeping up with the Joneses'.
One of the worst places to install a heat pump is where the outdoor unit cannot get enough airflow. If the unit is positioned in a narrow gap or tucked into a corner to make it less visible, it doesn't get the air it needs to work efficiently. Over time, that leads to reduced performance and potential reliability issues.
"Once you know the heat pump mistakes the experts see happening on a regular basis, you are halfway to ensuring that your own system will be one that proves to be a worthwhile investment. If you are considering installing an air source heat pump, you can expect many benefits, including lower heating bills, but to ensure you enjoy all the advantages this type of heating system can offer, there are certain mistakes to avoid."