Heat pumps are hot property in Europe. Does Britain have cold feet?

In France, they outsold fossil fuel boilers last year, with rapid progress in Poland, Germany, Italy and the Nordic countries. In the UK, muddled policy is blamed for a slow rate of installationThe humble heat pump has emerged as a powerful tool in Europe's mission to wean itself off gas heating. EU countries including France, Italy and Poland have witnessed a boom in the number of heat pumps being installed in homes, each one helping to reduce Europe's reliance on gas - in particular that supplied by Russia.But they have not been universally welcomed. A sceptical public and a muddled policy landscape have made the UK Europe's heat pump laggard. And in Germany, heat pumps have emerged as a flashpoint in the country's culture wars as the far right opposes the costs of switching away from fossil fuels. Continue reading...