Main system
Buildings
The homes, offices and public buildings we heat, cool and build, and the materials they are made from.
Construction, heating, cooling and efficiency
Air-source heat pumps
Moving heat from outside air into a building using electricity, instead of burning fuel.
The problem
Heating buildings by burning fuel is a major source of emissions.
Approach01
How it works
Many models can also run in reverse, cooling the building in warmer months.
A heat pump uses electricity to move heat from the outside air into a building.
Because it moves heat rather than making it, it can deliver more heat than the electricity it uses.
It works best in well-insulated buildings, with radiators or underfloor heating sized for lower water temperatures.
Limitations02
Where it falls short
Upfront costs can be higher than for a fuel boiler.
Poorly insulated buildings may need improving first.
Widespread use adds electricity demand, especially in cold weather.
At a glance
Where it fits.
- Main system
- Buildings
- Also shapes
- Energy, Industry
- Related solutions
- Heat networks
- Used in
- Retrofitting an occupied building, A heat network for a town centre
How solutions are sourced and reviewed is set out in our methodology.
System and projects
In practice.
How insulation, heating upgrades and on-site solar might be sequenced while people keep using the building.
Many buildings stay in use while they are upgraded, which shapes what can be done and when.
Connecting public buildings and homes to shared low-carbon heat through underground pipes.
Where buildings sit close together, one shared heat source can replace many individual boilers.
Your questions, answered.
Quick answers about the platform and its content.
A technology or approach that addresses a specific problem in one or more systems, from heat pumps to land shared between farming and solar.
Only where a maturity stage is defined and backed by sources. We don't estimate one.
Always. Every solution lists where it falls short, alongside what it addresses and how it works.
To cover every system, from technologies like heat pumps and batteries to changes in how land, water and materials are used.
From published research and practice. Every entry is reviewed by people who know the field and linked to the systems, solutions and projects it relates to.
