Heat pumps in Birmingham: zones, suburbs and what applies to you

The Birmingham heat network zone opportunity report, published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, identified 41 potential zones. Four are considered strategic: Birmingham Central, Tyseley, Birmingham North-East, and the area around the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the University of Birmingham. Smaller zones in places such as Sutton Coldfield and Bordesley East could be served by large-scale heat pumps.

Networks already run in the city centre, operated by the Birmingham District Energy Company, and at the University of Birmingham in Edgbaston, with one planned in Tyseley, where the report notes more heat sources than demand. In the Birmingham Central opportunity area, most of the load is non-domestic; residential buildings make up only a small share.

Source: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Only three categories of building are proposed for compulsory connection inside a zone: new-build developments, sizeable non-domestic buildings and residential blocks on shared heating. Suburban semis and terraces, the bulk of Birmingham's homes, fall outside all three.

So in Erdington, Hall Green or Northfield, the question is the same as anywhere in England: is the house suitable, how big should the heat pump be, and what needs to change inside. In the city centre, and in tower blocks with communal heating, the landlord or managing agent decides.

Source: gov.uk

A large part of Birmingham's suburbs was built between the wars and after, typically with cavity walls, and many of these houses have had cavity and loft insulation since. These houses often suit air source heat pumps well once the radiators are checked. Older inner-city terraces with solid walls lose more heat and may need larger radiators or insulation.

Outdoor units on houses in England are usually permitted development if they meet the size limit and the MCS 020a planning standard; semi-detached and terraced houses are limited to one unit, detached houses to two. Side passages between semis are a common position, but the noise at the neighbour's window decides whether it works.

• cavity and loft insulation already fitted or still missing
• radiator sizes after the heat loss calculation
• unit position and the neighbour's nearest window
• space for a cylinder if the house has a combi boiler
• electrical supply and consumer unit capacity

Source: planningportal.co.uk

A Birmingham owner swapping a gas boiler usually qualifies for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which the installer claims and deducts. Tell us about the house and your timescale. Heat pump firms serving the West Midlands see it without contact details; a single firm can buy it, and you hear its name and number from us first. There is no fee for you.