There has been a lot of interest in the media about how energy efficient heat pumps actually are, with one recent report they’re more expensive to run than gas boilers. (Spoiler alert – they’re not!)
The press attention followed the publication of ‘The Cold Hard Facts About Heat Pumps’, a report commissioned by environmental organisation the Green Britain Foundation. The report concluded that “well-designed and installed heat pumps can deliver substantial savings in CO2 emissions” but also pointed out there are “significant risks in terms of running costs” in terms of a building’s suitability for heat pumps, as well as problems with noise, visual impact and the higher cost of installation.
Unfortunately, critics of the Foundation’s report aren’t getting as much publicity as the bad-news the press has cherry-picked from it. The organisation Carbon Brief challenged the report’s findings on the basis that it was based on “flimsy data” and “a series of worst-case assumptions to present an unduly pessimistic picture” about heat pumps. Carbon Brief also points to independent research by research and innovation foundation, Nesta, that calculates merely switching from gas boiler to a heat pump can save an average household around £300 a year on fuel bills alone – with significantly greater savings on top of that if you have solar power and home battery too.
We have been successfully installing air source heat pumps for a number of years and, in our experience, there are significant advantages to replacing your gas boiler with a heat pump. Here we address the concerns highlighted in the Green Britain Foundation report.
A badly insulated home will always be expensive to heat
It makes no difference what your heat source is, if your home isn’t well insulated, it’s going to cost a lot more to heat than an identical building that is properly insulated. It doesn’t matter whether you have an air source heat pump, ground source heat pump, gas boiler or other heating system, if there are draughts and ways of heat to escape the building, it’s going to cost more to keep you warm!
Therefore, it’s in your best interests to do whatever you can to insulate your home to the best of your ability in order to reduce your energy bills, whether you use electricity, gas or oil. A better insulated home will increase your energy efficiency and decrease your carbon footprint. It’s common sense.
Noise
It is true that older heat pumps can be noisy. In the past, the noise factor meant they were really only suitable for larger properties with enough land for the heat pump to be placed where it couldn’t be heard by anyone in the house, or by neighbours. Modern air source heat pumps are designed to be quiet so that is no longer a concern. This means they’re suitable for use in housing estates and on terraced housing, and won’t disturb anyone.
Installation cost
The Green Foundation’s final objection about heat pumps was the cost of installation. In this respect, they are correct – the capital costs are a lot higher than those of installing gas boilers, which is clearly a disadvantage, especially to owners of small properties who generally have less budget to play with. The expense of installing heat pumps is one of the main reasons why the government introduced the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, offering grants of up to £7,500 towards the cost of heat pump installation.
The beauty of the scheme is that you don’t have to do anything – your MSC certified installer will apply on your behalf, deducting the grant from your invoice so you only have to pay the remainder. It may be that you will pay more than the cost of a gas boiler replacement, but this will be offset by the on-going savings in your electricity bill. You will also be protected from future gas price hikes which are subject to supply and demand as well as political turmoil.
Gas prices could rise dramatically in the future
Even if this was true now, in the future things could be remarkably different. The availability of North Sea gas is declining which means the UK has to rely on importing gas and, as we’ve already – painfully – experienced, gas prices can be subject to international events and availability, meaning costs can be volatile. The UK currently depends on Norway for the majority of its imported gas, but also imports from the US as well as Qatar. If we don’t start replacing gas boilers with heat pumps now, our reliance on imported gas will continue, leaving us highly vulnerable to the type of price hikes we experienced in 2022. Indeed, back in 2023, Energy UK – the trade association for the energy industry – predicted that delaying the roll out of heat pumps by two years would result in the UK having to import an additional £3bn worth of gas between 2026 and 2023.
So it could well be that the rise in gas prices over the next few years will mean the cost of installing an air source heat pump now becomes much more attractive.
Sustainable electricity will keep heat pump running costs down
The UK’s use of renewable energy is increasing year by year in a bid to reach its Clean Power 2030 target – where at least 95% of the UK’s power generation comes from clean energy. And we are making great strides towards this – 2025 saw record levels of clean energy production from renewable sources. The use of renewable energy has clear benefits for the environment, but it will also ensure the UK doesn’t have to rely on importing energy from different countries, with the constant worry of price rises due to tariff hikes or political instability.
And it goes without saying that installing solar panels on your home will increase the energy efficiency of your heat pump, at the same time as making huge cost savings on running costs.
Make the switch to heat pumps with Lacey Heating
Replacing your old gas or oil boiler with a highly efficient air source heat pump has so many advantages, it is worth seriously considering it. Not least of which is the financial contribution of the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, making it more cost effective in the long run.
If you live in Hertfordshire and surrounding areas, contact us to find out more about heat pump installation.
