Although 2013-14 winter was confirmed as the wettest on record, it was also above average temperature by over a degree making it the fifth warmest winter since 1910. Here in the south east I can only recall one frosty morning with ice on the road, so it must have been a mild one.
A positive result of all the warm-ish weather this winter has been a notable improvement on the seasonal performance factors of the heat pumps we have installed. Rainwater and groundwater movement are great for ground source heat pumps and our one in the office reports a whopping 9% increase in SPF. The combination of warm and wet has also meant a good year for air source heat pumps too as the wet air is better for heat transfer as long as the air temperature is above 5°C.
Whilst the climate change deniers are busy making up cyclic claims on the oil companies’ payroll, the rest of us invested in sandbags and wellies. Whatever your feelings on climate change and our role exacerbating the situation, the images of extensive flooding will make a lasting impression on the minds of the population. Some of the people I speak to are finally forming their own opinion on climate change along the lines of “ok, it might or might not be our fault, but do we want to risk making matters worse?” Does this indicate the fundamental shift in attitude the UK towards climate change? Maybe, but I don’t think it is going to make a huge impact on the renewable heating installation industry this year coming.
What is going to make a big difference this year is the launch of the domestic renewable heat incentive, but that’s another story.
For those of you still burning oil to heat your homes, now is the time to look at making the switch over to renewable heating be it through biomass boilers or a heat pump of some form. Installing a heat pump not only makes financial sense in most cases, but it also dramatically reduces your household CO2 footprint giving you the moral high-ground next time someone asks if you are doing your bit to alleviate climate change.
