Councils 'won't be able to cope' with Ed Miliband heat pump plans

Councils have warned ministers they will 'not have the capacity to cope' with the number of complaints about noisy heat pumps if Ed Miliband presses ahead with plans for a mass roll out.

In evidence to Mr Miliband's department, local authorities say they are already having to deal with noise complaints from people living next door to properties that have had a heat pump installed.

In some cases the noise is so loud that people can hear it inside neighbouring properties, leading to sleepless nights.

The situation could get worse after the Energy Secretary vowed this week to end the current rule that prevents people putting a heat pump within a metre of a neighbouring property without getting planning permission. 

Government sources stressed that legal limits on noise have not been changed. But In Wales, the distance limit has been left at three metres to minimise noise problems.

Most heat pumps emit a low humming noise, but manufacturers insist that they should not breach noise limits provided they are properly installed and well maintained.

But a study conducted for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero found that local authorities are worried about being forced to police neighbour disputes caused by noisy heat pumps.

One council said that environmental health officers are 'really nervous' about the prospect of a wide-scale roll out of the green technology.

The report warned: 'Local authorities expressed concerns that they would not have capacity to cope with the increase in air source heat pump planning applications and noise complaints that would arise under current requirements, if heat pumps were deployed on a larger scale.'

The study found that heat pumps are sometimes noisier in practice than results in test conditions suggest. And it warned that night time noise levels in some rural locations are so low that even well-functioning devices could cause problems.

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Labour reintroduces 'boiler tax' with Ed Miliband accused of trying to 'force' heat pumps on Brits

Mr Miliband is pushing for a huge increase in the installation of heat pumps to help cut the UK's climate emissions. Labour has ruled out forcing people to 'rip out' existing gas boilers. But critics say a new 'boiler tax' will force up the cost of traditional gas devices.

A spokesman for the Energy Department last night said noise complaints about heat pumps remained 'rare' - and said new models were becoming quieter.

The spokesman added: 'The energy shocks of recent years have shown the urgent need to upgrade British homes and our Warm Homes Plan will make them cheaper and cleaner to run, rolling out upgrades from new insulation to solar and heat pumps.

'We have seen incredible innovation in heat pump design over the past decade, with technological advances meaning they have become quieter over time and noise complaints are rare.

'All heat pumps installed still have to comply with a strict sound emission limit and this remains unchanged'.