Written question asked by Andrew Love (Labour) on Monday, 18 October 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 20 October 2010. It was answered by Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative) on Tuesday, 26 October 2010 on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Heat Pumps

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take into account in his assessment of the renewable status of heat pumps the level of carbon dioxide emissions in respect of (a) heat pump hardware and (b) the manufacture and emission of fluorocarbon refrigeration gases; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The renewable status of heat pumps is set out in Directive 2009/28/EC, dated 23 April 2009. The criteria for determining the renewable energy contribution from a heat pump is described in Annex VII of that Directive. This indicates that the Commission will establish, by 1 January 2013, guidelines on how member states are to estimate the renewable energy contribution. The Directive does not require the energy, and associated CO2 emissions, used in the manufacture of heat pumps and fluorocarbon gases to be taken into account when assessing the renewable energy contribution.Directive 2005/32/EC, the framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-using products, requires the Commission to consider the life cycle and environmental aspects of energy using products. The Commission have yet to agree the ecodesign criterion for heating technologies, including heat pumps, though consultation documents have not included these wider energy aspects. The magnitude of manufacturing energy use is small compared with the 'in-use' energy consumption.

Secondary information