Millions of people across the UK may see their homes fitted with a heat pump under controversial plans to decarbonise the UK.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband plans to establish "alternative hybrid systems", where households can use a heat pump to warm their homes but retain a small gas boiler to make hot water.
The former Labour leader wants household heat pump installations to hit 600,000 by 2028, up from 40,000 last year.
However, the technology remains potentially expensive for many households, as heat pump installations typically cost £14,000.
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Chief executive of the Energy and Utilities Alliance, the trade body for manufacturers of boilers, heat pumps and radiators, Mike Foster, told The Telegraph: "Installing heat pumps in homes can be very disruptive, often involving installing storage cylinders to hold the hot water they produce.
"But 60pc of UK homes do not have storage cylinders and lack space to put one in.
"That means the halfway house is to install a hybrid system where a heat pump runs the central heating and a small condensing boiler provides the hot water."
However, even with grants up to £7,500, installing new heat pumps remains more expensive than replacing gas boilers, which usually costs between £2,000 and £4,000.
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