Unlocking heat pump flexibility to deliver low-carbon heating and support the electricity grid

Authors: Dr Hui Yan, Dr Jacek Pawlak, Prof Aruna Sivakumar, Dr Stephen Agyeman, Dr Han Wang, Dr Hector Bastida, Prof Meysam Qadrdan, Dr Shahab Dehghan, Prof Sara Walker, Dr Jose Ramirez-Mendiola, Prof Jacopo Torriti, Dr Christian Calvillo Munoz

Editors: Dr Sarah Higginson and Cait Hewitt

Heating our buildings accounts for around 20% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, so decarbonising heat is essential for achieving net zero. Heat pumps and heat networks are proven, scalable options for cutting emissions but there are concerns that electrifying heating will worsen winter peaks in electricity use and make power system operation more challenging. This brief explores how far heat pump flexibility can be unlocked to deliver smarter, lower-carbon heating for homes while supporting energy networks. A suite of research studies funded by the Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC) examined how tariffs, controls, and technology choices affect heat pump demand, system impacts and comfort.

Key points:

• Time-of-use tariffs and smart heating controls can incentivise consumers to pre-heat buildings before the evening electricity demand peak, reducing costs while maintaining consumer comfort.
• Conversations about different ownership models for heating, including the potential for ‘heating as a service’, represent an opportunity to engage consumers on the benefits of flexible tariffs.
• Minor retrofits (such as draught proofing, double glazing, and insulating the hot water tank) that help improve building efficiency may well be accepted by consumers alongside the installation of a heat pump, helping to reduce heating demand overall.
• In district heating systems, when electricity system frequency changes, variable speed heat pumps can be controlled to temporarily reduce electricity consumption without compromising consumer needs.
• The use of ground source heat pumps in district heating and cooling networks can help support both short-term flexibility (through thermal inertia) and seasonal heat storage (storing heat in the ground that has been captured through the cooling of properties during the summer months).