Are heat pumps worth it?

Yes, especially if you’re replacing an older, G-rated gas boiler for a well-designed heat pump.

Topping up your home’s wall, floor and loft insulation before installing a heat pump will help reduce its running costs.

If you already have solar panels, you can save more by using the free energy they generate to power your heat pump.
A solar battery can increase your savings even further by storing the sun’s energy to power your heat pump later in the day.

The government is considering ‘re-balancing’ electricity and gas prices, aiming to make heat pumps cheaper to operate than gas boilers in the future.

Remember: not everyone who installs a heat pump will see savings straight away. This is because electricity is currently more expensive than gas. So, if you’re replacing a much newer, more efficient gas boiler for a heat pump, your energy bills aren’t likely to go down just yet.

No – air source heat pumps need less outdoor space than two wheelie bins stood side-by-side (around 1.5 metres wide).

Heat pumps don’t provide instant hot water like a combi boiler. So you’ll also need space for something that can store hot water.

Hot water cylinders are one option. These cylinders can usually fit inside any cupboard that measures around 80x80cm.

Yes: if you live in England and Wales you can get a £7,500 grant towards installing a heat pump with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

If you live in Scotland, grants of between £7,500 and £9,000 are also available.

If you live in Northern Ireland, you can ‘get heat pump ready’ and apply for funding for insulation via NI Energy Advice.

Energy companies are doing more to make heat pumps more affordable. For example, some suppliers are offering specific electricity tariffs designed to minimise heat pump running costs.

Yes, heat pumps can dramatically reduce your carbon footprint.

According to a Climate Change Committee (CCC) report, buildings account for around 17% of the UK’s emissions. Most of this comes from using fossil fuel heating systems in our homes.

A 2017 report from the CCC revealed that most residential buildings in Britain (23 million) are connected to the gas grid, using a traditional boiler. Around half a million homes in Northern Ireland rely on oil for heating.

In all cases, replacing an existing fossil fuel heating system with a heat pump will save carbon emissions. How much you will save will depend on the size of your home and the type of heating system you’re replacing.

They’re about as much work to maintain as a gas boiler.

We recommend an annual service for heat pumps. This will help you identify any potential issues, and is often a condition of your heat pump warranty.

A heat pump service could include:

• cleaning coils
• cleaning fan blades
• inspecting filters
• checking refrigerant level and pressure
• checking that all electrical connections are safe

Your installer will leave details about how often you should get your heat pump serviced.

A standard heat pump doesn’t provide hot water on demand like a combi boiler, so you’ll need a way of storing hot water.

Usually this is through a hot water cylinder. The size of hot water cylinder required depends on the amount of hot water that your household typically uses.

 If you don’t have space for a hot water cylinder, you still have options. Some hybrid heat pumps are designed so that the heat pump provides heating, while other options include a heat battery or an instantaneous water heater.

It’s worth considering a heat pump to help lower your energy bills and carbon footprint.

If you want to know more about how to get a heat pump installed, read our heat pump installation guide.