Yahoo News Heat pumps: myths, truths and costs: introducing our new series
A revolution in how we heat our homes in Scotland has started. We are beginning to disconnect our homes from the gas that has warmed many of the country's buildings since the 1970s.
Arriving in its place comes the heat pump and the heat network. The advent of these technologies has been slow, with only 6,000 heat pumps installed last year. But it is coming and is a particularly key element of how we in Scotland can reduce emissions and fight climate change.
Over the past few years The Herald produced ground-breaking coverage of the politics, industry issues and research behind the shift taking place.
For The Herald's fifth special series this year, Heat Pumps: Myths, Truths and Costs, we decided to look beyond the political debate, dig into the research, talk to the experts, and track down stories of people who have installed and lived with heat pumps.
The political signals have long been strong that all Scottish households will ultimately have to shift to 'clean' heating. The Scottish Government's Heat in Buildings consultation suggests that there will be pressure points where homeowners will be pushed to shift to zero carbon systems. One of these is following the sale of a property.
Grants are available that cover some of the costs of heat pumps, as are interest-free loans. But the uptake has been slow.
There is already a great deal of kickback against the heat pump, as well as mixed messages around the merits of heat pump technology itself.
So often the issue is accompanied by a barrage of information and disinformation. A proliferation of conflicting stories across the media means it can be difficult for the consumer, the homeowner or the tenant to work out what the best step is for the building in which they live, or whether it will be affordable.
To find out more about the technology we talk to some of the early adopters. We meet the heat pump geeks, who have fully electrified their homes, disconnected the gas, and now juggle tariffs or follow their battery charging on smart apps.
We visit a a first-time homeowner, who retrofitted her ground-floor tenement and had a hybrid heat pump fitted. We go roving with a sound meter to find out just how noisy heat pumps are.
Dr Jane May Morrison with her ground floor tenement heat pump
The series will look at key questions. Is it true, as is often said, that heat pump can't cope with the cold of a Scottish winter?
Does a home need to be maximally insulated before it can get a heat pump? Is it possible to fit them in flats? Will the national grid be able to support the wave of heat pumps and EVs that are set to connect over the coming years? Can it cope with the installations already wanting to connect up now?
What does a heat pump home feel like? And how does it run differently from buildings heated by other means? Most importantly of all, what does an installation really cost, and what grants and loans are available? How easy are they to secure? And what are the chances that a heat pump might pump up your energy bills?
We retrofitted our home with heat pump - while having a baby
Switch to heat pumps in Scotland — 'Fewer than 1 in 4 have right info'
What is the impact of shifting to a heat pump on a household's carbon footprint?
We will visit a new training centre at the Livingston Mitsubishi factory, and talk to installers, asking the question, if this market takes off, will the pipeline be there to deliver it?
But we also meet the wood burning stove devotees who swear they would never switch to a heat pump and publish the voices of those who either question the merits of heat pumps, or how this transition is being rolled out.
We will look at what we can learn from communities that have got there ahead - whether the islanders of Eigg, or the Scandinavians who have long had the most heat pump households in the world.
And we will investigate what types, or areas, of homes might be more likely to be on heat networks, and call for more clarity for homeowners struggling to decide whether they are going to have to rip out their plumbing - if they can afford it - or are better waiting to hook up to a local district heating system.
Heat pumps: myths, truths and costs is about the kind of questions you must be asking, and we will welcome your feedback and thoughts. We will aim to generate both more heat than noise, and more light than heat.
Subscribe to The Herald to read the series in full next week.
