Your questions answered
Heat pumps are in the news a lot lately and with the launch of the new Department for Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ) campaign encouraging people to replace their traditional boiler with a heat pump. As such, there is a lot of discussion on social media right now and we’d answer your questions on the subject
The £7,500 Government Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant is a great initiative that makes if more affordable for people to make the switch to an air source heat pump. Alongside the option to pay via finance with easy to manage monthly payments, there has never been a better time to make the switch to an air source heat pump.
If you’re still undecided because of some of the discussions you’ve seen on the internet, we’ve written this article explaining and challenging some of the common myths that are out there. Of course, if you’d prefer to talk to someone and have your questions answered in-person, our team are ready and waiting to chat!
So, let’s go through some of the comments we’ve seen about air source heat pumps online in recent weeks.
“Heat pumps don’t actually heat your house when needed”
This is perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions we’ve seen circulating on the internet. If your heat pump is correctly designed for your home, personal requirements and installed correctly by an MCS-certified installer, you should never have an issue with keeping warm even in the coldest months of the year. There is a reason that heat pumps are the heating system of choice in colder Scandinavian countries. Heat pumps are designed to work in temperatures as low as -25 degrees which is more than enough for the UK climate.
“They’re expensive and noisy”
Heat Pumps really aren’t as noisy as some people make out. Our heat pump expert Jamie Ansell has done some testing of his own around heat pump noise so you can see for yourself just how noisy or, in reality, how quiet they are.
“Don’t work in anything other than a brand-new home as a rule”
“A heat pump is coming nowhere near my house. Mainly because it wouldn’t work. I doubt it would work in 10% of all homes. That’s being generous.”
“I live in a Victorian semidetached house with timber sash windows, we will never be able to have a heat pump”
It is true that there is a small percentage of houses where a heat pump may not be suitable. Some properties will need significant upgrades to make them heat pump ready. This can be in the form of increased insulation, new radiators and upgrading pipework. Homes will need somewhere for a hot water cylinder to go.
This does not mean that a heat pump won’t work for you and your home. It simply means that you might have to factor in some adjustments to your homes heating infrastructure to be heat pump ready.
However, before anyone can tell you that a heat pump is not suitable for your home, various things need to be assessed. This includes a heat loss survey and technical assessment looking at all the points we’ve mentioned above. A blanket statement saying “heat pumps won’t work in old houses” simply isn’t true.
“They won’t work with conventional radiator pipework”
Many heat pump systems work happily with existing radiators but as we’ve discussed above, some homes may need some adjustments.
It is also true that heat pumps operate at a lower temperature than traditional boilers. This is one of the things that makes them more efficient. To counter this, some properties will need to upgrade their radiators with ones with larger surface areas to keep your home as warm as you would like. Most importantly, it comes down to the system design. A good installer will take all these variables into account and make sure that your new heating system is designed for you, your home and your specific needs.
“Financially out of reach for many.”
“They give £7500 towards the costs. Most heat pump installs cost £15000. Due to needing an unvented hot water cylinder too. Plus upgrading radiators and pipe work. Extra insulation. Upgrade window efficiency. Close to £40,000 to do it all right.”
Yes, installing an air source heat pump can be more expensive than installing a traditional boiler system in your home. However, many homeowners believe that installing a heat pump is an investment worth making for both financial and environmental reasons. We’ve written a dedicated article about heat pump costs here.
What’s more there are several schemes available to help people make the transition to an air source heat pump. The Government’s flagship Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives eligible customers £7,500 towards the cost of their heat pump and there are also finance options available to spread the cost into easily manageable monthly payments.
Here are some of the other schemes available to help customers make the transition to greener homes:
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Offers eligible homeowners in England and Wales £7,500 toward the cost of replacing their old traditional boilers with a sustainable home heating system.
- Renewable Heat Scheme: For homeowners in Scotland the scheme contributes 75% cash back up to the value of £7,500 towards the cost of a renewable heating system and a further 40% cashback up to £6,000 for energy efficiency measures.
- ECO4: The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a government-backed scheme designed to improve energy efficiency in homes across the UK. Improvements can include new heating systems (such as heat pumps), insulation and upgrading glazing. If you own or rent a property that is heated with electricity and receive income-related benefits, you may qualify for the grant.
- Warm Homes: The Warm Homes local grant is a government-funded fuel poverty scheme delivered by local authorities in England. The scheme aims to improve home energy efficiency as well as increase low carbon heating installations for low-income households. The scheme opens on 1 April 2025. The criteria for applying for this grant is here.
You can read more about the various grants here on our dedicated article
“Install a heat pump, and the electricity bill will rise to about a £1000 per month to run it. All that expense to take the chill out of the house.”
It is true to say that energy costs are high at the moment compared to where they were even just a couple of years ago. However, even with that in mind, there are savings to be had when installing an air source heat pump.
Heat pump efficiencies over traditional boilers can help customers save money on their annual energy bills. There are more savings to be had when heat pumps are coupled with other energy saving measures such as solar panels and batteries.
Finally, talking to your energy supplier about a heat pump specific tariff, like the one offered by EDF Energy will help you get the most of your new heat pump and could deliver you even more savings. All of these things when added up could save you up to £164* per year on your existing bills compared to a traditional boiler.
“The servicing costs for heat pumps are crazy. They need extensive servicing every 6 months and the costs will be huge.”
Your air source heat pump should never need any more servicing than your traditional boiler. An annual service is sufficient and will keep your heat pump in tip top condition. With many manufacturers now offering servicing and warranty packages when you purchase your heat pump, you will have the cover and peace of mind you need. We’ve written an extensive article about heat pump servicing and what you can expect here.
So, that’s just some of the most common themes we’ve seen on social media over the last few weeks. And as you can see, most of them are easily challenged with a little bit of research and good sources.
Of course one of the best things you can do to find out the facts is to talk to one of our expert consultants. We’ve been selling heat pumps for over 20 years and believe you deserve the be told the truth, even if that means we can’t install a heat pump for you.
Get in touch below and let’s talk.