Is it mad to think there should be a minimum SCOP for UK heat pump installs?

Government Schemes, Regulations, Planning & Organisations

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Mars

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Topic starter 29/10/2025 9:56 pm

Is it crazy to think that every UK heat pump installation should have to meet a minimum SCOP value?

We’ve now got tens of thousands of heat pumps going in, and yet there’s no performance benchmark for what’s actually considered “good”. MCS and installers can say a system is “working”, but what does that mean if it’s running with a SCOP of 2.2 and the house still struggles to hit 21C?

Heat pumps are incredibly easy to monitor and we can see exactly how they’re performing. So why not draw a clear line in the sand?

For example: anything below a SCOP of 3 (at 21C) is sub-par. Anything above is acceptable.

No more guesswork. No more arguments about “every home is different”. Just a clear, fair, measurable standard that protects homeowners and gives everyone clarity.

What do you think? Fair idea or unrealistic?

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JamesPa

(@jamespa)

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29/10/2025 10:11 pm

BUS requires minimum SCOP of 2.8, see https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/565/regulation/9

Building regulations require

Reasonable provision shall be made for the conservation of fuel and power in buildings by—

(a) limiting heat gains and losses— (i) through thermal elements and other parts of the building fabric; and (ii) from pipes, ducts and vessels used for space heating, space cooling and hot water services;

(b) providing fixed building services which— (i) are energy efficient to a reasonable standard; (ii) have effective controls; and (iii) are commissioned by testing and adjusting as necessary to ensure they use no more fuel and power than is reasonable in the circumstances.

The requirements, at least arguably, already exist, the problem is enforcement.

This post was modified 3 hours ago 3 times by JamesPa

4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.

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Mars

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Posts: 3643

Topic starter 29/10/2025 11:09 pm

@jamespa, I don’t think that’s quite right. The regulation you’re referring to doesn’t require the installed system to achieve a SCOP of 2.8… it says the heat pump unit itself must have a seasonal coefficient of performance of at least 2.8, based on the Secretary of State’s approved test method (whatever that’s supposed to mean).

That figure comes from laboratory testing of the unit (including some dodgy Chinese labs), not from how the full system performs once it’s installed in someone’s home.

So in practice, we still don’t have a benchmark for real-world system performance. Until we start measuring and setting minimum in-situ performance values, poor installs will continue to slip through the net IMO.

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