Neighbors battle over noisy heat pumps as government drops key restriction
UK government removes noise restrictions on heat pump installations despite growing complaints from homeowners. Local disputes rise as residents report constant humming sounds affecting their daily lives
The UKs green-energy plans hit a rough patch as heat pump noise becomes a hot-button issue in residential areas. The government just dropped the one-meter installation rule which experts say might create more neighbor disputes
Natasha Nilsson from Woking faces a daily struggle with her neighbors recently-installed heat pump. “Its like a constant drone – I cant even use my garden anymore‚“ she explains while measuring noise levels that reach just above 40 decibels in her home (similar to a quiet library)
Matthew Dowsett shares his own heat-pump horror story: living next to an elderly neighborʼs installation thats causing sleep problems. “The vibration goes right through our wall; my partner gets really upset when it turns on at 4:30 am‚“ he says; the situation has made them think about moving house
The governments push for clean heating faces some real-world problems:
- Only 14‚000 heat pumps got installed last spring-winter
- Gas boilers still lead with 1.5 million new installations
- Heat pump costs reach £15‚000 vs £2‚000-4‚000 for gas units
- Current yearly target sits at 600‚000 installations by 2028
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero found that 1-in-4 people living near these units think theyre too noisy. Mike Foster from Energy Utilities Alliance points out: “Not all heat pumps work perfectly – they need checking and servicing to keep noise down‚ or our neighborhoods could turn into war zones“
