Heat pumps can cut energy use by up to two-thirds while easing pressure on the grid, according to a new UK study that offers a riposte to criticsSome of the UK’s first homes to meet new energy efficiency standards are proving kinder to the electricity grid than expected. A real-world study of social housing in Birmingham, UK found that peak electricity demand from heat-pump-equipped homes was: “lower than we would expect,” said Dr Monica Mateo-Garcia, academic lead at Birmingham City University’s Centre for Future Homes. Researchers at Birmingham City University tracked seven all-electric homes over the course of a year. The research compared electricity use across a year and found overall consumption far below typical UK homes. “We currently seem to be overpredicting how much power we need in new-build housing,” said Professor Richard Fitton of the University of Salford, who was not involved in the study.