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 Friday, 22 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 what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of installed heat pumps which fail to meet the required EU standard on coefficient of performance.

Answer: The EU standard, given in Annex VII of Directive 2009/28/EC, is based on the total useable heat delivered, the average seasonal performance factor and the efficiency of electrical generation. As the Commission have yet to establish how member states are to estimate these factors it is not possible to estimate the proportion of installed heat pumps that will fail to meet that standard.Interim results from recent field trials show there is a significant range of domestic heat pump performance, from good to disappointing. Some of the reasons for poor performance are understood and others are being investigated in these ongoing trials. This information should help us to estimate the proportion that may fail to meet the required standard—once the standard has been established.

Secondary information