February is a great time to talk about… air conditioning. Otherwise known as air to air heat pumps, which can heat as well as cool your home, very efficiently. We have a big new report out today on how suitable air to air heat pumps are for British homes. The answer: quite a lot!

New: 10 policy changes to make getting a heat pump easier www.nesta.org.uk/blog/10-thin... @acjsissons.bsky.social @chrisbaraniuk.com @helenczerski.bsky.social @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org @janrosenow.bsky.social @duncanrobinson.bsky.social @dharavyas.bsky.social @betatalk.bsky.social

There are better ways to lower the cost of energy for households than a simple VAT cut @madgabes.bsky.social outlined recently - hopefully the Chancellor will tomorrow look to reduce electricity bills along lines of the tax-free measures @nestauk.bsky.social proposed www.nesta.org.uk/report/tax-f...

🙏This would be very welcome. Fingers crossed for tomorrow

The response to this story has been wonderful! Thanks to everyone who has read and shared it. And thanks also to all new subscribers!!

The Treasury is widely reported to be considering cutting energy bills, perhaps via a VAT cut. What's the best way to do this? We think the answer is to remove the taxes from electricity bills. Here is Nesta's proposal out for Tax-free Electricity: @nestauk.bsky.social

I’ve successfully claimed £2,000 from Halifax for my heat pump install 🥳 To be eligible for the Green Living Reward the install has to be within 1 year of getting a mortgage/refixing. You also need to have a current account with Halifax. #heatpump #heatpumps

New pictures! Today we're excited to be launching the first images from our new resource of engaging, accessible and real-life images of heat pumps across the UK, free for non-profit, editorial and educational use. Find out more and view the images: www.climatevisuals.org/heatpumps/

✨Heat pump wrap ✨Before and after ✨ I just got my Vaillant heat pump wrapped in grey. Do you prefer it before or after? #heatpumps

🏢 How are flats heated in England and Wales? 🏦 🔥 45% of 11+ storey flats use communal heating, at least half relying on fossil fuels 🏡 75% of low-rise flats (1-3 storeys) use fossil-fuel heating ⚡ 60% of high-rise flats use electricity for individual heating www.nesta.org.uk/project-upda...

Well, electricity levies and heat pumps are in the news this morning… … and we have a brand new Nesta report out on levy reform. We’ve looked closely at all the options, and this is what we think the best approach is… www.nesta.org.uk/report/how-t...

🏡 In partnership with The MCS Foundation, we've designed a website to help consumers transition to a heat pump, with free, impartial tools and guidance. Homeowners can find out how much a heat pump might cost, the best type for their home, and find an installer: www.getaheatpump.org.uk

Today, the 1 metre ruling requiring a minimum of 1 metre between a heat pump & property boundaries has been lifted for homes in England, meaning thousands of homeowners can make the first step to getting one. 🔖 Our new explainer outlines the planning process for getting a heat pump: bit.ly/4mAIDo0

Today is the day! The heat pump 1m rule finally gets lifted. Getting my own heat pump installed later this year (planning no longer required!) 🥳 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🔥 1,600 heat pump visits in one year 🔥 Over 900 hosts signed up 🔥 47 installers registered www.nesta.org.uk/blog/one-yea... @codrinacretu.bsky.social @alasdair.co @madgabes.bsky.social @kieranran.bsky.social @markobroin.bsky.social

Do you know of a conservation areas in the UK that allow heat pumps fronting a highway? We'd love any examples! Thanks in advance 🙏

🔥 Heat pump 1m rule comes to an end on 29th May! 🥳 Here is the statutory instrument: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/56... @joalsop.bsky.social @betatalk.bsky.social @thesuburbanpirate.bsky.social @acjsissons.bsky.social @annieleymarie.bsky.social @carbonbrief.org @chrisbaraniuk.com

🔥 Heat pump 1m rule comes to an end on 29th May! 🥳 Here is the statutory instrument: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/56...

New heat pump consultation out today on UK Government grants: - Extend to Air to Air & heat batteries Options being considered to help spread the installation cost of a heat pump include: - Hire purchase - Hire purchase “plus” - Leasing, like leasing a car www.gov.uk/government/n...

Eeek >> Gas boilers now biggest source of air pollution in central London elementallondon.show/news/gas-boi...

🔥 Do we need to mandate the open protocol that all boilers and controls have to work with? 🔥 DESNZ consultation says boilers & controls just need to be compatible with 1 open protocol - so some will be incompatible with each other? I suggest OpenTherm as the mandated open protocol. Am I wrong?

NEW: Helen Jeffrey was excited to have a heat pump installed after moving home - but something wasn't right. It was costing her far more than expected. So she decided to investigate. And soon met an internet stranger who was able to help. MY LATEST: www.thereengineer.pro/p/an-interne...

Great new piece on heat pump monitoring and optimisation from @chrisbaraniuk.com open.substack.com/pub/thereeng... Cameo from heat pump Bsky aficionado @acjsissons.bsky.social

Did you turn down your boiler flow temp and save energy & money? We’re looking for a case study Top marks if you can access your energy data from before and after Thank you!

Fresh out the CCC oven – the Seventh Carbon Budget sets out a new trajectory for heat pumps. The new Balanced Pathway pushes back heat pump installations into the 30s – more realistic given current progress, but still ambitious.

The government is proposing all new combi boilers are supplied with a 60°C flow temp factory default setting by early 2026. Does anyone know if any existing boiler manufacturers already do this? Thanks! 🙏 @betatalk.bsky.social @joalsop.bsky.social

I’ll come back with some screenshots of charts, details on changes in pathways and so on in a bit… … but I think the big change in the 7th carbon budget is that the technology choices for net zero are now pretty clear. We need to stop arguing as much about technologies and electrify things quickly

The Climate Change Committee’s advice on the Seventh Carbon Budget is out today. What does it say about home heating? Top line: half of homes should have heat pumps within 15 years www.theccc.org.uk/publication/...

Another reason to get a heat pump and induction hob: In London homes indoor air pollution exceeds WHO standards 38% of the time. The overwhelming proportion of indoor emissions are thought to originate from smoking, heating, and cooking. New paper from @rmetcalfe.bsky.social @sjroth.bsky.social

Do we need a universally recognised heat pump symbol? Does any country already have one?

The Welsh Government needs to... 🔥 1. Remove the 3-metre planning rule for heat pumps 🔥 2. Exempt ASHPs from increases in the planning application fees 🔥 3. Create planning hubs to upskill the sector www.nesta.org.uk/blog/the-wel... Great blog from @marine-furet.bsky.social

Am I wrong? Flats in the UK OVER 3 floors most likely have shared heating systems e.g. heat network, commmunal boiler, air to air systems that cover the whole block Flats in the UK UNDER 3 floors most likely to have non shared heating systems e.g. electric or gas boiler per dwelling Any data?

Had a lovely chat with @andymarsden.bsky.social about Visit a Heat Pump, and our work on clean heat neighbourhoods on @betatalk.bsky.social 's podcast. Thanks for having us!

I chat with some of the Nesta team about the highly successful visit a heat pump project @acjsissons.bsky.social @codrinacretu.bsky.social betatalk.buzzsprout.com/509671/episo...

Is 2025 the end of the road for hydrogen boilers? I certainly hope so. My new briefing today looks at hydrogen heating - and why Labour needs to rule it out ASAP if they want to keep energy bills down. 🧵 www.e3g.org/publications... 🔌💡

The much reported statistic that 1 in 12 Londoners is an illegal migrant isn’t true - correction issued by Daily Mail www.dailymail.co.uk/home/article...

This is a great piece - and not just because it opens with @duncanrobinson.bsky.social participating in @nestauk.bsky.social’s Visit a Heat Pump

Thrilled to see our Visit A Heat Pump scheme mentioned in The Economist’s Bagehot www.economist.com/britain/2025...

So proud of the team - what a great milestone!

New sunlight beats old sunlight! www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

New: data from 4600 boilers in the UK suggests 1/3 of homes could switch to a low temp heat pump with no radiator changes and 2/3 of home with a high temp heat pump journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... @betatalk.bsky.social @joalsop.bsky.social @acjsissons.bsky.social

Heat pump installers - when you fill in the MCS forms do you report the cost of an install before or after the BUS grant?

Yesterday we published a review by the @energysyscat.bsky.social which looked at air to air heat pumps and the important role they could play in decarbonising UK homes: www.gov.uk/government/p...

I've had a heat pump installed in my house and I'm inviting you round to have a look, as part of @nestauk.bsky.social's Visit a Heat Pump scheme! Join me in Hove on 19th Jan! app.visitaheatpump.com/hosts/633

Looks like Wales wants to increase planning application costs for homeowners from £230 to £585 - surely applications for heat pumps should be excluded from this? (page 15) www.gov.wales/sites/defaul...

Does anyone know anyone at Saga who could talk to us about this excellent heat pump planning work? Thanks! www.saga.co.uk/home-insuran...

🎄 Heat pumps aren’t just for Christmas, they’re essential to get the UK to cheaper, cleaner energy for all. Kickstart your heat pump journey in 2025: 🔥 Visit GetAHeatPump.org.uk for impartial information on getting a heat pump. 🏡 Book a visit to see a heat pump near you with VisitaHeatPump.com

Has anyone seen any photos of multiple air source heat pumps installed across low rise flats or coverted flats? We're looking to do some acoustic modelling. Thank you!

Great news!

new Nesta report combines decarbonisation and social case for to rebalance or reduce electricity policy costs. One of the most striking outputs is this graph, which shows the poorest families (A,1-3) pay the highest % of net income on green and social levies.