15/10/2026
Ah yes, the classic argument against heat pumps: confidently dismiss the technology while demonstrating a remarkable misunderstanding of how it works.
A few inconvenient facts:
1. Heat pumps don’t last? Their typical expected service life is around 15–20 years, sometimes longer. Apparently, we’re now pretending they self-destruct after five.
2. They don’t work as advertised? A properly designed heat pump can deliver 3–5 kWh of heat for every 1 kWh of electricity consumed. That’s called physics, not advertising.
3. They increase everyone’s bills? Really? Running costs depend on electricity prices, gas prices, system efficiency and tariffs. Plenty of well-designed installations already compete with or beat gas. But why bother with calculations when sweeping statements are so much easier?
4. The £7,500 grant is immoral? There’s a legitimate debate about how subsidies should be distributed. But apparently, supporting cleaner heating is immoral, while continuing our dependence on fossil fuels is perfectly sensible.
5. Heat pump sales are down 25%? Even if that figure is correct, falling sales don’t prove a technology doesn’t work. By that logic, every industry experiencing a downturn must be selling defective products.
And the best part? Calling heat pumps an expensive gimmick while ignoring that gas boilers typically waste 6–15% of their fuel energy, whereas heat pumps move several times more heat than the electricity they consume.
The real problem isn’t heat pump technology. It’s poor system design, inadequate installation standards and an electricity-to-gas price ratio that often penalises efficient electric heating.
But sure, let’s blame thermodynamics.
Perhaps we should consult a refrigeration engineer before declaring the entire refrigeration cycle an economic conspiracy. After all, refrigerators have been using exactly the same principle for over a century. Strangely enough, nobody is campaigning to replace them with gas burners.
