What to do then? We must not count on a step backwards in terms of fuel oil, and systems based on firewood or pellets work but cannot meet all needs in Belgium. It has therefore been several years that one sector has wanted to take the lion’s share, that of heat pumps. In recent days, InfoPompeàChaleur.be, the information platform of the Belgian heat pump association, has even stepped up to point out some problems in Belgium.
According to them, the biggest challenge is to accelerate the transition in the existing building stock. “If we want to achieve our climate goals for 2050, we must now focus our efforts on renovationsexplains Patrick O, spokesperson for InfoPompeàChaleur and expert in the field. The speed of renovations is too slow to achieve these objectives.“
Heat pump sales have fallen since the start of the year
He obviously extols all the merits of heat pumps and encourages “public authorities and installers to play a leading role in informing owners and helping them make the right choices“.
But is it always the right choice? “The use of heat pumps in renovations is still too often underestimated. Too many homeowners cling to traditional heating systems without understanding how accessible and beneficial heat pumps are.“
This is in fact especially true for new properties or those which have undergone a major energy renovation, particularly in terms of insulation. Although conformity tests exist, some later regret their choice. “A heat pump is an excellent product when the house is suitablewarns a heating engineer. The problem is that people are being fooled and are installing this system on houses over 30 years old which are not insulated enough. I have already had requests to remove installations made by others, because there was no return.“
A word of advice therefore: no in-depth renovation, no heat pump.
