How Norwich became the first UK city to install a heat pump

But while heat pumps may be the future, they already have a long history in Norfolk.

The country's first one was developed in Norwich in 1945.

The groundbreaking invention was cobbled together at the Duke Street headquarters of Eastern Electricity, by local engineer John Sumner.

His contribution to the technology has long been overlooked, but as heat pumps become increasingly popular his role is being highlighted by local firm Finn Geotherm, with a section on its website.

The building was originally due to use the revolutionary technology - which involves taking heat from the air, ground or water - for its heating needs.

But because of wartime austerity, it seemed likely the project would be scrapped.

John Sumner installed the first heat pump in Norwich in 1945 (Image: Newsquest)

Undeterred by the lack of resources, however, Mr Sumner, who worked for the Norwich City Council's Electrical Department, began salvaging parts that he assembled into a heating system based on early electric fridges.

The project was a success and his experimental water-source heat pump was installed in 1945. 

It heated the multistorey building by circulating water from the nearby river Wensum through its heat emitter systems.

Although it proved an efficient and effective heating system, which is said to have run at an average thermal delivery of 147kW and had a peak output of 234kW, it was not widely adopted due to the availability of cheap fossil fuel alternatives. 

While his invention didn't take off, Mr Sumner continued working on heat pump technology.

This saw him installing a closed-loop ground source heat pump for his home in the early 1950s.

The system was constructed using copper pipe buried at around a 1m depth and was filled with circulating antifreeze. 

Mr Sumner's inventions were groundbreaking but they weren't the first heat pumps. 

Instead, Peter von Rittinger who was born in what is now the Czech Republic developed the first heat pump in the 1850s, which was used to dry salt in Austria.  

Since the mid-20th century, the technology behind the renewable heating system has evolved significantly and now ground- and air-source versions are becoming a popular way to heat homes and buildings using cheaper, cleaner, renewable energy. 

Last year, a total of 42,779 were installed in the UK and the number is set to rise significantly as the country moves away from gas central heating to cleaner alternatives. 

Norfolk remains a key player in the industry, with Attleborough-based firm Finn Geotherm, one of the most prominent heat pump companies in the country. 

The firm has been recognised for being a leader in the industry with numerous awards, including recently receiving Renewable Energy Project of the Year for a landmark project that saw it install a heat pump system for a 14-storey building in London.