Change in planning legislation can simplify the installation process of the heat pump for thousands of households in England. Limits for the size and the number of heat pumps that can be installed are also increased. The changes have been introduced if the British government strives for 600,000 installations per year by 2028 target.
New planning rules are expected to simplify the installations of the air source heat pump for thousands of houses in England, after a change in the law that came into force on 29 May 2025.
The British government has deleted a rule that requires households in England to guarantee the building permit for heat pump installations within a meter of a real estate limit. The changes can influence thousands of households.
According to earlier planning rules, the installations of heat pump were often canceled due to the requirements of the building permit, according to stakeholders in the industry.
Octopus Energy CEO Greg Jackson noted in 2024 that more than a third of customers who order a heat pump did not continue with the installation due to planning problems. The usefulness has been active in encouraging the acceptance of heat pump and currently offers an Octopus brand heat pump and a ‘cozy Octopus’ dynamic energy rate.
Other changes to the planning rules include increasing the size limit of heat pumps for domestic properties of 0.6 m3 up to 1.5 m3And increasing the limit on the number of heat pumps that is permitted for a home from one to two. Air-air heat pumps that can offer cooling will now also benefit from the same permitted development rights as air-water heat pumps.
The change comes when the pace of the installations of heat pump in the United Kingdom accelerates. Data from Certification Body MCS shows that in April 2025 there were more than 4,700 heat pump installations, which brought the total to more than 20,000 for the first four months of the year – 16% higher than the 17,603 British heat pump installations registered by MCS for the same period in 2024.
The installation rates of the British heat pump must rise considerably to achieve the 2028 goals of the government, but subsidy support is present for consumers who make the switch.
Homeowners in England and Wales have access to subsidies from GBP 7,500 ($ 10,100) in the direction of the costs for installing a heat pump under the boiler -upgrade schedule. The Scottish government offers equal support via its Home Energy Scotland Grant and loan schedule. The boiler replacement schedule in Noord -Ireland is now closed.
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