Research And Insight
The Untapped Potential of Pumps in the UK’S Green Transition
UK carbon emissions from buildings is high – it accounted for 18% of UK emissions in 2023. Existing buildings make up the vast majority of the buildings stock and will continue to do so – 80% of buildings today will still be standing in 2050. With UK buildings amongst the oldest and most energy inefficient in Europe, these buildings will need to be retrofitted in order for them to decarbonise, which is a big challenge.
The main source of heat for buildings in the UK is gas – 85% of homes are connected to the gas grid. Heat is attributed to the majority of buildings' emissions.
The UK has a target to install 600,000 heat pumps per annum by 2028, to replace the 1.5 million boilers installed every year. At present, progress has been slow for achieving the heat pump target – a 10 fold increase in annual installations is needed within 4 years.
Additionally, fossil fuel boilers continue to be installed today and with no backstop date for a fossil fuel phase out, installations may persist into next decade, with the
average lifetime of a boiler being 15 years this will create locked in carbon emissions. Therefore, improving the efficiency of these systems will be key to mitigating carbon emissions from heat.
All wet heating systems will have a pump to move water within the heating system. However, there are many inefficient pumps installed within heating systems, which is increasing energy use, driving up consumer bills, and increasing carbon emissions. The British Pump Manufacturers Association states that 100,000 of the 1 million circulator pumps installed each year do not meet UK regulation. Non-compliant pumps are usually fakes which consume higher energy – the Energy Savings Trust
field trial highlights the negative impact of inefficient pumps and a poor pumping strategy.
Consequently, energy bills will be higher for recipients of these pumps. For those on the lowest incomes, such as the 3.18 million households in fuel poverty, this is a relatively high figure, as it could be the choice between heating or eating during the winter months. Therefore, a strategy to replace inefficient pumps in UK heating
systems are needed.
For the circulator pump to deliver high efficiencies, and support the heating system to provide a comfortable indoor air temperature, a proper pump strategy must
be followed. This includes ensuring the installer has the skills and experience to replace the circulator pump, hydronically balance the system and apply best
practice. Without this application, installing heating systems, and replacing pumps can damage heating system performance, and result in higher than necessary
consumer energy bills.
Replacing a circulator pump and hydraulic balancing the system is a quick win for improving the energy efficiency of the property in a cost-effective and non-invasive
way, which can be done during scheduled service and maintenance. This paper therefore raises awareness of the need to accelerate circulator pumps replacements,
and the implementation of a proper pumping strategy for UK heating systems, with suggestions for how policy can be used as a tool to achieve this.