Retrofit | Heat pumps
An air-source heat pump can heat any home — of any age or construction — as effectively as a gas boiler, and at comparable or lower running cost if correctly designed and installed by a competent installer.
The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant (£9,000 if you're currently on oil or LPG) means the net cost for a typical home after grants and VAT relief is often between £1,500 and £8,500 — and potentially less for a typical house.
This Buyer’s Guide from NailsworthCAN gives you the tools to find a competent installer, ask the right questions, spot the red flags, and compare quotes on what actually matters — not just the quoted price price (click below).
Why are they so efficient?
A Heat Pump is based on the principle of heat transfer. Heat transfer uses a small amount of energy to transfer the free and renewable low-grade heat from the air or ground to high-grade heat suitable for space or water heating in homes.
Heat pumps are extremely efficient and are a proven technology. For every unit of electricity to run a heat pump, they deliver at least three units of heat (i.e. at least 300% efficient).
And when replacing an old gas boiler, running costs do not need to rise when installing an air-source heat pump, as we explored in How to heat your home with the minimum amount of energy, and save the planet. Installing a heat pump is the single biggest thing a householder can do to reduce the carbon footprint of heating.
Heat pumps are part of a bigger picture
Heat pumps are part of a wider transition towards electrification of much of our end-use of energy (see The Future Is Electric). For more insight, please go to our piece on Demystifying Heat Pumps.
TALKS
A Great Introductory Talk on Heat Pumps for householders
To learn more about heat pumps, and dispelling common myths about them, please see the engaging talk by Chris Wilde (Managing Director of Yorkshire Energy Systems), that we hosted What if we could all heat our buildings with renewable technologies?
Everything You Wanted to Know About Heat Pumps but were afraid to ask
A wide ranging talk by Dr Richard Erskine looking at the history of heat pumps and the practicalities and economics of heat pumps for the home and for other settings (like community spaces, churches, etc).
Everything You Wanted to Know About Heat Pumps but were afraid to ask
Explore another retrofit measure: