Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of Seasonal Coefficient of Performance which is achieved by air and ground source heat pumps in real-life installations compared to those stated in the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Product Directory; and what plans they have (1) to introduce a requirement that real-life performance and efficiency must be stated by manufacturers in advertising and technical literature, and (2) to ensure that purchasers and installers are able to make a realistic assessment of the likely running costs.

Based on historic evidence from trials we can assume that air source heat pumps have a Seasonal Coefficient of Performance of 2.4, while ground source heat pumps have a coefficient of 2.7. We are currently seeking to update our assumptions based on real-life data from the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project and the Metering and Monitoring Service Packages, installed as part of the Renewable Heat Incentive.

We understand that there may be a performance gap between stated efficiency and real-life efficiency. This is something we are seeking to address by working with the standard setting bodies to improve the accuracy of these measurements. We are also looking to develop a Home Suitability Model, as part of the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project, to more clearly communicate to the public the expected running costs of heat pumps based on real-life performance.