I'm pleased to see there is a lively debate now about alternative energy.

But heat pumps get very little mention. This is a pity, because: 1 They are a first-class long-term money-saving investment for the average householder who has even a small garden.

2 They act like a fridge in reverse they take heat out of the ground, all year round, and pump it into a house. A simple, low-maintenance, low-tech but very efficient system.

3 Every kilowatt to run it gives 3-4kw of heat, winter and summer.

4 In Norway, 90 per cent of new houses are fitted with heat pumps.

5 Payback times are now seven to eight years but, as prices rise, this will come down and the expected Goverment grant scheme will also reduce payback times.

6 The energy to run it can come from any source, including renewables.

7 In summer, some systems offer cooling in place of heating.

8 This is well proven, simple technology. There are no large, expensive bits to go wrong. So heat pumps seem a very good bet in an uncertain world.

Why, then, are they so little known? Is it, perhaps, because, unlike nuclear power, there is no large, well-funded lobby.

We could have a national, Government-supported heat pump installation programme, which would be a very sound energy investment whatever happens to oil prices.

Our kids would thank us for it. Brighton could lead the way. So, how about it?

-Geoff Beuret, Brighton