Heat pumps are here to stay. The more people understand their advantages, the more popular they’ve become. And now the big housing developers are fitting them as standard to all new build properties because of their energy efficiency.
Whether you’re concerned about your carbon footprint or just want to reduce your utility bills, installing an air source heat pump will make a big difference. So if your old gas boiler needs replacing, you need to consider replacing it with a heat pump rather than a new boiler.
Here, we explore the top reasons why you need to replace your gas boiler with a heat pump.
1. You’ll get a grant of up to £7,500 under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
The initial cost of installing a heat pump can be off-putting. Which is why, over the past three years, the UK government has provided financial incentives in form of grants of up to £7,500 towards the installation of heat pumps for UK homes, community centres and small businesses under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).
According to Ofgem, the BUS has granted over £5m towards nearly 70,000 heat pump installations between May 2022 and October 2025. The scheme has been so successful it has been expanded until the end of 2027, giving you a couple more years to do your research and decide on the best solution for you.
However, one thing to take into consideration when making your calculations is that the anticipated lifespan of air source heat pumps is 20 years, whereas a boiler will only last for 10. Therefore, when thinking about the total cost across a heat pump’s entire lifetime, you also need to take replacing the new boiler into account, which makes the heat pump even more desirable in the long run. So with the grant from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the longer lifespan of the heat pump, combined with the energy savings you’ll make, the upfront cost of a heat pump becomes a lot more justifiable.
2. Lower running costs than fossil-fuel heating
Heat pumps are mainly desirable because of their heat energy efficiency. For every unit of electricity they use, heat pumps generate three or four times as much heat. Gas heating systems, on the other hand, are far less efficient – for every unit of gas used, only 90% of heat is generated. Air heat pumps therefore take less energy to heat your building to a higher temperature which will obviously cost less money.
3. Protect yourself from gas price volatility
In the last couple of years, we’ve found out the hard way how global political turmoil can affect energy security. Although the massive rise in gas prices has abated, sadly there seems to be no let up in its fluctuating – but ever rising – costs. As the UK’s own natural gas supply dwindles, we’re more reliant on importing our gas, leaving us at the mercy of the global market. Which makes renewable energy a much more attractive long-term option.
The UK now generates more electricity through renewable sources than from fossil fuels. In the second quarter of 2025, renewable energy accounted for 54.5% of UK electricity generation – up from 50.8% in 2024. And as our use of renewable energy rises, our reliance on importing power falls, ensuring prices are more likely to remain stable as they’re no longer at the mercy of global politics.
4. Lower your carbon footprint
As more of us realise how much of an impact our everyday activities have on the world’s ecology, sustainability has become a priority. Many of our customers are looking for low carbon heating which is why they are choosing heat pumps over gas central heating systems in order to lower their carbon footprint, and for many, the BUS grant makes it achievable.
The fact that an air source heat pump uses less fuel means your impact on the environment is going to be lower as a result. Even greater savings can be made if you use renewable energy, for example if you have solar panels on your roof.
5. Upgrading to heat pumps could add value to your home
An energy-efficient home is a hugely attractive option. When you put your home on the market, you will need to show a valid energy performance certificate (if you don’t already have one, click here for more information) which shows potential buyers how energy efficient (or otherwise) the property they’re looking at is. Buyers are likely to pay more for a highly rated house as it means they won’t have to spend money – and have the disruption – of doing the work themselves.
Therefore, if you’re thinking about moving on in a few years’ time but need to replace your heating system now, installing a heat pump (which, remember, will last for 20 years) will make your house more desirable to buyers, which in turn will increase the asking price. And you’ll be able to take advantage of the lower heating bills in the meantime. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme will make the installation more affordable at the same time as improving your home’s energy efficiency.
Choose Lacey Heating to install your heat pump
We are a family-run plumbing business with a reputation for excellence – nearly 200 5* Google reviews can’t be wrong! Covering Hertfordshire and parts of Essex, we have become the go-to company for heat pumps and heating systems in the area.
Lacey Heating is an MCS certified installer which gives people switching to renewable energy the peace of mind that they’re getting high quality products and service excellence.
We are also a Mitsubishi Electric partner company, which means our installers have all been trained to a very high standard by Mitsubishi. This grants us a longer guarantee time for Mitsubishi products – 7 years – giving you additional confidence in your new heat pump.
To make the process as easy as possible for you, we will help you apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant so you can take advantage of the government funding, which will be put directly towards the cost of installing your new heat pump.
If you would like further information about low carbon heating systems, heat pump installation and the BUS grant, or would just like to start the ball rolling, contact us for support.
