Katy King
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katyking2.bsky.social
Katy King
@katyking2.bsky.social
Deputy Director, A Sustainable Future
@nestauk.bsky.social ex @bitglobal.bsky.social
Posts in a personal capacity about behavioural science & household decarbonisation.
Reposted by Katy King
The Treasury is widely reported to be considering cutting energy bills, perhaps via a VAT cut. What's the best way to do this?
We think the answer is to remove the taxes from electricity bills. Here is Nesta's proposal out for Tax-free Electricity:

@nestauk.bsky.social
Tax-free electricity
A proposal to remove most taxes on electricity to reduce bills and promote clean heating
www.nesta.org.uk
November 5, 2025 at 1:09 PM
I’ve successfully claimed £2,000 from Halifax for my heat pump install 🥳

To be eligible for the Green Living Reward the install has to be within 1 year of getting a mortgage/refixing.

You also need to have a current account with Halifax.

#heatpump #heatpumps
October 8, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Katy King
New pictures!

Today we're excited to be launching the first images from our new resource of engaging, accessible and real-life images of heat pumps across the UK, free for non-profit, editorial and educational use.

Find out more and view the images:
www.climatevisuals.org/heatpumps/
September 29, 2025 at 8:27 AM
✨Heat pump wrap ✨Before and after ✨

I just got my Vaillant heat pump wrapped in grey.

Do you prefer it before or after?

#heatpumps
September 12, 2025 at 7:41 AM
🏢 How are flats heated in England and Wales? 🏦

🔥 45% of 11+ storey flats use communal heating, at least half relying on fossil fuels

🏡 75% of low-rise flats (1-3 storeys) use fossil-fuel heating

⚡ 60% of high-rise flats use electricity for individual heating

www.nesta.org.uk/project-upda...
Understanding how flats are heated in England and Wales
Decarbonising flats requires a nuanced, multifaceted approach with distinct strategies based on their heating fuel types
www.nesta.org.uk
August 29, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by Katy King
Well, electricity levies and heat pumps are in the news this morning…
… and we have a brand new Nesta report out on levy reform.

We’ve looked closely at all the options, and this is what we think the best approach is…
www.nesta.org.uk/report/how-t...
How to make electricity cheaper
Reforming the levies on energy bills
www.nesta.org.uk
June 5, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Katy King
🏡 In partnership with The MCS Foundation, we've designed a website to help consumers transition to a heat pump, with free, impartial tools and guidance.

Homeowners can find out how much a heat pump might cost, the best type for their home, and find an installer: www.getaheatpump.org.uk
Your trusted source of information on heat pumps
Learn about the future of home heating with Get a Heat Pump: offering independent information, tools and guidance for homeowners.
www.getaheatpump.org.uk
May 29, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Reposted by Katy King
Today, the 1 metre ruling requiring a minimum of 1 metre between a heat pump & property boundaries has been lifted for homes in England, meaning thousands of homeowners can make the first step to getting one.

🔖 Our new explainer outlines the planning process for getting a heat pump: bit.ly/4mAIDo0
May 29, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Today is the day! The heat pump 1m rule finally gets lifted. Getting my own heat pump installed later this year (planning no longer required!) 🥳

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Planning change makes heat pump installations easier for homes
The rule requiring planning permission if a heat pump is within 1m of a neighbours property has been removed.
www.bbc.co.uk
May 29, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Do you know of a conservation areas in the UK that allow heat pumps fronting a highway?

We'd love any examples! Thanks in advance 🙏
May 13, 2025 at 1:41 PM
New heat pump consultation out today on UK Government grants:

- Extend to Air to Air & heat batteries

Options being considered to help spread the installation cost of a heat pump include:

- Hire purchase
- Hire purchase “plus”
- Leasing, like leasing a car

www.gov.uk/government/n...
Families to get more choice over home upgrades
Proposals to give families greater choice when upgrading their home's heating as well as plans to create up to 18,000 training places for green jobs
www.gov.uk
April 30, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Eeek >> Gas boilers now biggest source of air pollution in central London elementallondon.show/news/gas-boi...
Gas boilers now biggest source of air pollution in central London, study shows - elemental
A new study has revealed that gas boilers used for heating are now identified as the primary contributor for NOx emissions in London.
elementallondon.show
April 11, 2025 at 10:07 AM
🔥 Do we need to mandate the open protocol that all boilers and controls have to work with? 🔥

DESNZ consultation says boilers & controls just need to be compatible with 1 open protocol - so some will be incompatible with each other?

I suggest OpenTherm as the mandated open protocol. Am I wrong?
March 14, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Reposted by Katy King
NEW: Helen Jeffrey was excited to have a heat pump installed after moving home - but something wasn't right. It was costing her far more than expected.

So she decided to investigate. And soon met an internet stranger who was able to help.

MY LATEST: www.thereengineer.pro/p/an-interne...
‘An internet stranger helped solve my heat pump puzzle’
Gadgets can monitor heat pumps and reveal their workings
www.thereengineer.pro
March 6, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Great new piece on heat pump monitoring and optimisation from @chrisbaraniuk.com
open.substack.com/pub/thereeng...

Cameo from heat pump Bsky aficionado @acjsissons.bsky.social
‘An internet stranger helped solve my heat pump puzzle’
Gadgets can monitor heat pumps and reveal their workings
open.substack.com
March 6, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Did you turn down your boiler flow temp and save energy & money? We’re looking for a case study

Top marks if you can access your energy data from before and after

Thank you!
March 4, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Katy King
Fresh out the CCC oven – the Seventh Carbon Budget sets out a new trajectory for heat pumps.

The new Balanced Pathway pushes back heat pump installations into the 30s – more realistic given current progress, but still ambitious.
February 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM
The government is proposing all new combi boilers are supplied with a 60°C flow temp factory default setting by early 2026.

Does anyone know if any existing boiler manufacturers already do this?

Thanks! 🙏

@betatalk.bsky.social @joalsop.bsky.social
February 26, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Reposted by Katy King
I’ll come back with some screenshots of charts, details on changes in pathways and so on in a bit…

… but I think the big change in the 7th carbon budget is that the technology choices for net zero are now pretty clear. We need to stop arguing as much about technologies and electrify things quickly
The UK’s Seventh Carbon Budget level should be set at 535 MtCO2e, an 87% reduction against 1990 levels.

This country has a prosperous and secure future ahead.

The fossil fuel age is over – it’s time to electrify the United Kingdom.

www.theccc.org.uk/2025/02/26/e...
​​End the fossil fuel age for a secure and prosperous future.​  - Climate Change Committee
Today the country’s climate advisors, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), present a new pathway to a decarbonised UK.…
www.theccc.org.uk
February 26, 2025 at 8:42 AM
The Climate Change Committee’s advice on the Seventh Carbon Budget is out today. What does it say about home heating?

Top line: half of homes should have heat pumps within 15 years

www.theccc.org.uk/publication/...
The Seventh Carbon Budget - Climate Change Committee
Presented to the Secretary of State pursuant to Section 34 of the Climate Change Act 2008. Footnotes have…
www.theccc.org.uk
February 26, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Another reason to get a heat pump and induction hob:

In London homes indoor air pollution exceeds WHO standards 38% of the time.

The overwhelming proportion of indoor emissions are thought to originate from smoking, heating, and cooking.

New paper from @rmetcalfe.bsky.social @sjroth.bsky.social
February 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Do we need a universally recognised heat pump symbol?

Does any country already have one?
February 18, 2025 at 3:36 PM