the most common and persistent myths about heat pumps

 

They now feature in most proposals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by mid-century in order to meet the globally agreed aim of avoiding dangerous climate change.

For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says with high confidence that net-zero energy systems will include the electrification of heating “rely[ing] substantially on heat pumps” – with a possible exception only for extreme climates.

Heat pumps significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions from building heat and are the “central technology in the global transition to secure and sustainable heating”, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Heat pumps are also a mature technology and are very popular in countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland, where they are the dominant heating technology. For the first time in 2022, heat pumps outsold gas boilers in the US – and they continued to do so in 2023.

Yet, in major economies such as the UK and Germany, heat pumps are the subject of hostile and misleading reporting across many mainstream media outlets.

Here, Carbon Brief factchecks 18 of the most common and persistent myths about heat pumps.

1. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps don’t work in existing buildings.’
2. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps only work in highly insulated buildings.’
3. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps only work with underfloor heating.’
4. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps won’t work in flats.’
5. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps don’t work when it’s cold.’
6. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps will always need a backup heating system to keep you warm.‘
7. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps won’t keep you warm.’
8. INCOMPLETE: ‘You will freeze during a power cut and be better off with a gas boiler.’
9. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps are noisy.’
10. INCOMPLETE: ‘Heat pumps cost more to run and will increase heating bills.’
11. FALSE. ‘Turning gas to electricity to heat via a heat pump is less efficient than burning gas in a boiler.’
12. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps will never offset the carbon emissions resulting from making them.’
13. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps devalue properties.’
14. INCOMPLETE: ‘Heat pumps are unaffordable.’
15. INCOMPLETE: ‘The grid cannot cope with heat pumps.’
16. INCOMPLETE: ‘Heat pumps don’t work with microbore piping.’
17. FALSE: ‘Heat pumps don’t last long.’
18. INCOMPLETE: ‘Heat pumps are new and untested technology.’