‘Arbitrary’ rule forcing households to install heat pumps in middle of their gardens

Households could be forced to install heat pumps in the middle of their gardens because of an “arbitrary” rule.

Heat pumps must be installed at least 1 metre (3.28 feet) from any boundary wall according to planning regulations that must be met to qualify for the Government’s £5,000 heat pump grant.

The rules were originally put in place to mitigate concerns over the noise levels from older models of heat pumps.

But Leah Robson, the director of renewables installers Your Energy Your Way, said the rules were “abitrary”, because mandatory checks were already done to ensure sound levels do not disturb neighbours.

Heat pumps must be sited a certain distance away from neighbouring properties. which can put them up to seven metres away from the house, depending on the size of the heat pump.

“We have definitely lost customers in the past who just couldn’t find a spot to put it in, and it is putting people off from installing heat pumps.”

“I’m just not clear what purpose the one-metre rule serves,” she added. “I accept that we don’t want to be making noise and annoying other people, but that’s covered by the sound test.”

Liz Bentley, a meteorologist, is hoping to get a heat pump installed outside her Victorian semi-detached home in Reading, but has been put off by the one-metre rule that could leave the heat pump sticking out into her narrow garden.

“It has been challenging to find something that fits,” she said. I’m probably going to end up with a solution that’s not ideal for me.”

She added: “If it’s stuck in the middle of my lawn, then I think that probably will be the final thing that will prevent us from moving down this road. My outside space is important to me, and I don’t really want one of these systems stuck in the middle of my garden.”

The issue was raised by the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee in a recent letter to ministers in the department of energy security and net zero, which warned that the Government’s £450m heat pump subsidy scheme was failing because of low uptake.

Baroness Parminter, the chairman of the committee, said the rules were outdated because new heat pump models are quieter and said the rule was making installations “more challenging in some circumstances”.

“The committee concluded that the distance requirement arising from Permitted Development Rights should be relaxed,” she said.

Local authorities

But Lord Callanan, the minister for energy efficiency, told the House of Lords this week that it was up to local authorities to decide how to interpret planning rules.

Ms Robson said the rule could block heat pump installations particularly in areas with smaller gardens, particularly in major cities such as London.

Anthony Carritt was forced to install his heat pump seven metres down the length of his garden in East Sheen, South West London, and one metre into the garden.

“The heat pump is well below the top of the fence, so the noise is not really going to travel over the fence at all,” he said. “To my mind it could be safely a lot closer to the buildings without causing any disturbance.

“My garden, fortunately, is big enough to accommodate it,” he added. “'It’s quite a large machine, and that is one of the limiting factors. I’ve never quite understood how people in small flats are going to heat their homes with heat pumps.”

A spokesman for the department for energy security and net zero said: “The boiler upgrade scheme has paid out £38.3m of vouchers to installers so far and industry has reacted positively to the scheme during its first year, with suppliers developing competitive offers alongside the grant. 

“The Government is currently conducting an independent review of the relevant planning rules, which will report in the summer."