The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2022

Requirements for heat pumps

9.—(1) A heat pump meets the requirements in this paragraph where—

(a) no part of the heat pump which generates heat, other than the ground loop in the case of a subsequent heat pump installation in relation to a shared ground loop system, was used before the plant was first commissioned,

(b) it has a capacity of no more than 45 kilowatt thermal, or, in the case of a shared ground loop system, the system has a capacity of no more than 45 kilowatt thermal,

(c) it meets the requirements set out in the standards for heat pumps approved by the Secretary of State under regulation 4(1)(b) which are applicable when the plant is first commissioned,

(d) it has a seasonal coefficient of performance of at least 2.8, determined in accordance with the standard approved by the Secretary of State under regulation 4(1)(c) which is applicable when the plant is first commissioned,

(e) it uses a compressor which is driven by electricity, and

(f) if it is an air source heat pump, it is not designed to use heat in air which has been expelled from an appliance or building.

(2) A heat pump meets the suitability criteria in relation to the eligible property, or a property to which regulation 14(1)(b) applies, for which it is installed where—

(a) it provides heating—

(i) solely to that property, or to both that property and any related property, and

(ii) for the purpose of both space heating and hot water heating, using liquid as a medium for delivering that heat,

(b) it is capable of meeting the full space heating and hot water heating demands of that property, and

(c) it replaces the heat generating components of the original heating system installed in that property (where applicable), other than any—

(i) supplementary electric heater, including any immersion heater,

(ii) circulation pump, or

(iii) solar thermal collector.

(3) For the purposes of paragraph (1)—

(a) “ground loop”, in relation to a shared ground loop system, means the equipment which absorbs energy stored in the form of heat in the ground, including heat in water in the ground, or in surface water,

(b) “shared ground loop system” means a system in which a ground loop provides heat energy through a hydraulic connection to two or more ground source heat pumps,

(c) “subsequent heat pump installation”, in relation to a shared ground loop system, means the installation of a second or subsequent ground source heat pump as part of an existing shared ground loop system.

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (2) and regulation 10(2), “hot water” means hot water which is intended for the personal use of the individuals who use or occupy the eligible property, or property to which regulation 14(1)(b) applies, and does not include hot water used for the purposes of—

(a) space heating,

(b) heating a swimming pool, or

(c) carrying out a process.