Many countries’ emission reduction plans are based on a significant increase in the use of air source heat pumps in homes.

And Manx Utilities is currently conducting a trial to see whether they could be the future here, too.

Air source heat pumps are an established technology, although they currently only have a small share of the heating market in the British Isles.

They operate like a fridge in reverse, and are very efficient because the majority of the heating energy is taken from the surrounding air.

A smaller amount of electricity is needed to operate pumps and control systems.

They work well if they are considered in the design of a well-insulated new build property - but some older homes can be converted too.

Ayre View, a group of 32 rented DoI properties in Bride village are now heated by air source heat pumps, having previously been heated by a coal fire and back boiler for hot water.

Heating these homes used to take on average 50kg of coal a week.

Electricity use has increased because of the heat pump but costs of £5 to £10 per week are much less than the £25 per week spent when heating and hot water only came from the coal fire.

The authority’s finance director, Simon Clague, said over time it is likely that most properties will become suitable for these pumps - although some may still be cheaper to heat with direct electric heating.

He said: ’ASHPs like to maintain a constant interior temperature as opposed heating a property up quickly and then turning the heating off after a couple of hours.

’Where properties are badly insulated, maintaining a steady interior temperature can be difficult and so it is usually more cost effective for a property’s insulation to be improved prior to making changes to the heating system.’

Among those homes taking part in the Manx Utilities trial is a Manx stone cottage dating back to at least 1832, on The Lhargan in Port St Mary.

Traditional Manx stone cottages can operate with ASHPs effectively, said Mr Clague, but many won’t be insulated to a sufficient standard and this would need to be addressed first.

The efficiency of ASHPs does fall with very cold outside temperatures but this is relatively rare in the island, he said.

He said that installation cost of ASHPs systems are higher than comparable fossil fuel installations but lower operating costs offset the increased upfront cost.

Manx Utilities’ ASHP trial allows the upfront cost to be spread across 10 years to allow customers to realise a cash saving.

Increased electrification of heating, and transport, will increase the demands on electricity generation and the distribution network.

But recent reviews by Manx Utilities have shown no significant investment is required to meet expected demand during the next 10 years.

The power station has an expected operational life through to the early 2030s, and being gas-fired it is cleaner than coal or diesel generation.

Mr Clague said it is likely that the amount of the electricity generated from sustainable sources will increase over the coming years and therefore the dependence on the current generating plant is likely to reduce.