Hamid Salimi, Daikin UK’s Head of Residential Products, outlines the key information that installers need to pass on to homeowners to ensure they get the best performance from their systems.
Heat pump sceptics often suggest that widespread adoption of heat pumps will put a strain on the electricity grid. However, a recent study has highlighted that for heat pumps in new homes especially, this is not the case, but energy usage does depend on consumer behaviour.
At first glance, concerns around grid capacity appear logical. If millions of homes transition from gas boilers to electrically powered heating systems, overall electricity demand will increase. However, the critical detail lies in how that electricity is used. Heat pumps are not direct electric heaters, rather they are highly efficient heat transfer devices. With seasonal coefficients of performance typically ranging from 3.0 to 4.5 in newbuild properties, they deliver three to four-and-a-half units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed. That efficiency fundamentally changes the grid equation.
Newbuild homes constructed to current Building Regulations, and increasingly aligned with the Future Homes Standard trajectory, have significantly lower heat losses than older housing stock. Improved fabric performance, enhanced airtightness and, in many cases, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery mean that overall heating loads are modest. When paired with low-temperature emitters such as underfloor heating or correctly sized radiators, heat pumps operate in optimal conditions. Rather than creating sharp spikes in demand, they run steadily and predictably, maintaining comfort with comparatively low electrical input.
In this context, the grid strain narrative begins to unravel. Peak demand in modern, well-insulated homes is far lower than many assume. Moreover, heat pumps are compatible with smart controls and time-of-use tariffs, meaning they can pre-heat homes during off-peak periods and modulate output in response to external temperatures through weather compensation. Electrification, when managed intelligently, does not simply add load, it reshapes and smooths it.
However, performance is not determined by hardware alone, and consumer behaviour plays a decisive role in real-world energy use. Heat pumps are designed to operate continuously at low flow temperatures, maintaining a stable internal environment. When homeowners treat them like traditional gas boilers, switching them on and off or increasing flow temperatures to achieve rapid heat-up, system efficiency falls. In new homes especially, where heat loss is minimal, steady operation is critical to achieving high seasonal performance and keeping electricity consumption under control.
This is where the installers’ role becomes pivotal. Accurate room-by-room heat loss calculations remain essential, even in highly efficient properties. Emitters must be specified to operate effectively at lower flow temperatures, typically in the 35 to 45°C range. Weather compensation should be enabled and correctly configured, and commissioning must include proper balancing and flow rate optimisation. Close coordination with developers helps ensure that design assumptions around insulation and airtightness align with as-built performance, safeguarding system efficiency from the outset.
Equally important is the quality of the handover, and installers must move beyond a brief control demonstration and ensure homeowners understand how their system works and why it works that way. Explaining the relationship between flow temperature and efficiency, the purpose of weather compensation, and the benefit of continuous operation empowers occupants to run their systems correctly. When expectations are set appropriately, comfort levels remain high and unnecessary call-backs are reduced.
Heat pumps also sit within a broader electrified home ecosystem that increasingly includes electric vehicles, battery storage and rooftop solar. With intelligent controls, systems can align with on-site generation and dynamic tariffs, supporting grid flexibility rather than undermining it. Viewed holistically, heat pumps are not a liability to the grid but a cornerstone of a smarter, more responsive energy network.
For installers, the message is clear. In newbuild homes, concerns about overwhelming the electricity grid are not supported by the evidence when systems are correctly specified and operated. The greater determinant of performance lies in design quality and homeowner understanding. By combining rigorous technical standards with clear, confident customer education, installers can ensure heat pumps deliver on their promise, being efficient, low-carbon heating that supports the wider electrification of UK homes without placing undue strain on the grid.
For more information on Daikin and its products, visit: www.daikin.co.uk
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