Domestic heating accounts for over 35% of the overall CO2 emissions for the UK each year and over 60% of an average home’s CO2 emissions are created by the home heating system.
Therefore by halving all the domestic home CO2 emissions in the country we would reduce the overall UK emissions by up to17.5%, as well as reducing the amount of fossil fuel used considerably.

Yes, Heat Pumps can reduce home carbon emissions by up to 60% depending on the heating system used.

Heat Pumps need electricity to operate the system, however the electricity use is low compared to the amount of heat generated:

A 6 KW Air Source Heat Pump unit requires 1Kw of electricity to create over 3.4 KW of 45 degree C hot water with an external ambient temperature of 7 degrees C.
Result coefficient of performance (COP) of 3.4 i.e. 1Kw of Electricity=3.4Kw of Heat.

A 6 Kw Ground Source Heat Pump unit requires 1Kw of electricity to create over 4.2 Kw of 45 degree C hot water with the same external ambient temperature.
Result coefficient of performance (COP) of 4.2 i.e. 1Kw of Electricity=4.2Kw of Heat.

Looking at the Electricity required to operate the Heat Pump and the carbon emissions of generating this Electricity using coal or natural gas, a heat pump with a seasonal COP (coefficient of performance) of just 2 will be comparable with the same overall emissions of carbon dioxide as a gas-fired boiler with an efficiency of 95%. Therefore with the COP shown above of 3.4 and 4.2 we can see that both Air Source and Ground Source Heat Pumps are significantly efficient and extremely viable to use both economically and in comparison to a Gas Boiler.

Consider the next ten to twenty years when our domestic gas supply will reduce significantly to a level where by 2020 the UK will be 80% dependent on imported gas. There are obvious economic and price considerations to consider as well as security of supply when this is considered.
Currently the UK relies on gas to generate 38% of UK electricity demand, with the above implications on gas supply leading up to 2020 this 38% figure has to reduce. However by 2020 the forecast is to increase nuclear generation to 33% of UK demand increasing from under 20% at present.
When combining this increased nuclear capacity with larger wind and wave electricity generation projects it is clear the less electricity will be generated using gas over the next ten years and domestic heating will also be forced to become less reliant on gas due to cost and security of supply.
Hence the concept of using Heat Pumps will only become more beneficial as the overall carbon footprint of electricity generation reduces significantly and Heat Pump use will become an even more attractive option.

A big question, but when the above facts are considered adding a Heat Pump to your home will undoubtedly enhance its energy rating. There is also a real possibility that by adding an efficient Heat Pump system to a home the value of the property will also be enhanced.
So the answer is yes, you will future proof your heating system and proactively manage your energy demand by adding a quality Heat Pump system.
You will then be comparable to the vast number of homes that will also have fitted Heat Pumps over the next ten years when this technology will become much more common place in domestic property.