With all new builds in the UK being required to use more sustainable heating solutions over gas boilers as early as 2025, there’s been a steep rise in the demand for heat pumps and heat pump services. 

This more environmentally heating solution will impact the construction industry dramatically, whether you’re running a small or large property development firm and want to stay compliant.

In this article, we’ll go over why you should start using heat pumps as soon as possible, their drawbacks, and how they will forever impact the construction industry. But before we do any of that, let’s first look at what they are and how they work.

What Are Heat Pumps and How Do They Work?

Most household heating systems in the United Kingdom use fossil fuels. Heat pumps, on the other hand, don’t. Whether ground source, air source, or another type of heat pump, they all use sustainable sources to heat a home, which will have a significantly lower impact on the environment.

To heat a home, heat pumps capture the heat from outside and move it indoors. To do that, they use electricity, but what’s worth noting is that the electricity used to power the system is minimal compared to the heat delivered to the home.

As the heat pumps capture heat that’s already readily available in the environment, zero energy will be used to generate it, emitting zero carbon dioxide.

Besides, heat pumps aren’t just for heating a house. Many modern heat pumps can also work in reverse, meaning that they can both cool and heat homes. While only gaining popularity now, these systems have been around for decades, and with the new government policy to combat climate change, they will forever change the construction industry.

Why Use Heat Pumps?

There are many advantages of using heat pumps instead of gas boilers and other fuel-based heating solutions.

One of the biggest advantages is that these pumps don’t require fossil fuels to heat a residential home, meaning the resident's heating bill will not only decrease, but the carbon footprint of the home using a heat pump will be dramatically lower than a home that uses a gas boiler.

Aside from helping people reduce their carbon footprint and heating bills, heat pumps are also more versatile than modern heating methods. This is because heat pumps are designed in a way that allows them to both cool and heat the air. So, instead of only turning them on in the winter, the heat pump can also be used to control the temperature year-round.

If you’re a developer and deal with building new properties, as of 2025, you will be required to only start using sustainable heating solutions such as heat pumps as the government strives to achieve its net zero carbon emission goals by 2050.

Drawbacks of Using Heat Pumps

Though heat pumps sound perfect on paper, they are not. Below, we’ll go over some of the drawbacks of using heat pumps as a heating solution in a home.

• Higher up-front cost of installation
• Depending on the type of heat pump, it can be more difficult to install
• Usually requires planning permissions

How Heat Pumps Are Impacting the Construction Industry

The biggest impact on the construction industry will be the fact that they need to start adapting and making it their norm to install heating pumps over gas boilers and other fuel-based alternatives.

This can cost the construction industry a lot of money as staff will need to be trained on how to safely and efficiently install these systems as we all move away from traditional heating solutions such as gas boilers.

Another major impact will be related to budgeting and financing newly built properties. With heating pumps expected to cost a whole lot more to install (depending on the type of heat pump), developers should be prepared to meet the cost of installing these new heating systems in their developments.

If not planned properly, if the developer decides to not pass the additional cost down to the customer, they may risk taking a hit in profits, which is never a good thing in the eyes of investors and shareholders.

Conclusion

As part of the government’s plan for the UK to reach net zero in carbon emissions by 2050, drastic measures are needed, and one such measure is replacing fuel-based heating solutions with more sustainable ones across millions of homes around the UK.

Starting in just 2025, the construction industry needs to be all ready and set to start implementing sustainable heating solutions and leave gas boilers and other fuel-based heating systems in the past.

The construction industry will certainly feel the impact, but it is a necessary sacrifice that needs to be made if we want to save the plan and take our part in having a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future.