10 Heat Pump Myths That Are Just Hot Air
Because heat pumps are still relatively new for most people here in the UK, there are a huge amount of myths and misconceptions around them; we talk daily with customers and the most common misconceptions around heat pumps are that they’re too expensive, too noisy, and inefficient – so let’s dispel some of these myths and clear the air.
Myth #1: “Heat pumps are too expensive!”
Whether or not an air source heat pump is expensive is one that’s relative to your means. The initial outlay of any large scale upgrade to your home isn’t going to be cheap but there is help available. For example, the governments’ Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) will contribute £7,500 towards the upfront costs. We explain heat pump costs on our dedicated page – we don’t hide our prices!
You’re not only upgrading your heating system to an eco-friendly alternative (when powered by green energy tariffs or on-site renewable sources), but you’re doing so at an incredibly discounted price! What’s more, if you choose to work with us on your installation you have the reassurance that your install is being carried out by an organisation with over 20 years’ experience in installing air source heat pumps.
Myth #2: “Air source heat pumps are noisy!”
When heat pumps started to become popular in the domestic market they certainly could be quite noisy and unappealing. These were usually either air-to-air and air conditioning units or the old, fixed speed units without modern inverters. The domestic air-to-water heat pumps of today have come a long way and now use the latest in noise reduction technology. This includes scroll compressors, composite fans and energy efficiency enhancements such as inverters and weather compensation.
We detail heat pump noise here but the noise produced by our heat pumps from 3 metres away is around 38 decibels – which is equivalent to around a whisper – in standard operation mode. To put that into perspective, a gas boiler flue produces between 40-60dB of noise while operating.
Myth #3: “Heat pumps are not efficient during cold winters!”
Despite being called ‘heat’ pumps, they don’t need hot air to work (in the same way that solar panels don’t need sunshine to still work), they work by extracting heat from the air outside. Because they don’t need to burn a fuel to operate, they can operate at more than 100% efficiency – usually between 300-400% efficiency over a whole year.
Heat pumps are able to use energy from the air to boil a refrigerant gas which turns into a vapour. This vapour is then compressed to produce heat. The refrigerant boils at a very low temperature meaning the heat pump will work well all year round even in lower temperatures. This is especially the case here in the UK, where temperatures only fall to around 0°C for a few weeks every year.
It’s no coincidence that a country as cold as Sweden has the highest percentage of heat pumps in the world – they just work. Whilst they do work less efficiently in extremely cold weather this is then more than made up for when they work at more than 400% efficiency during warmer months! The 300-400% efficiency we always aim for is an average efficiency over the whole year.
Myth #4: “Heat pumps need to stay on all the time!”
This is usually by far the most efficient way to run a heat pump – which means that it uses significantly less energy in total. So while it can be on all the time, this doesn’t mean it’s using as much energy as a gas boiler that’s staying on all the time.
Myth #5: “Heat pumps only work with underfloor heating!”
Heat pump systems can be highly efficient when connected to an underfloor heating system, but many customers have heat pump installations with only radiators. You also don’t necessarily need to upgrade your radiators to install a heat pump. A new heat pump will work perfectly well with more modern convection radiators and can function with traditional panel ones, but will operate at a lower efficiency than if you upgrade to larger radiators – learn more about radiators and whether you’ll benefit from an upgrade here.
Myth #6: “A heat pump can only be installed in new buildings!”
While adding a heat pump installation into a new-build projects can offer great value for money in terms of system efficiency and total cost, a heat pump can be installed in any property – from old Victorian houses to brand new homes. Our expert designers and installers are highly trained to deal with any situation in a heat pump installation.
With retrofits, we’ll carry out a heat loss report as part of our initial survey and system design. We’ll also recommend any other system upgrades that would benefit the system efficiency.
Myth #7: “Heat pumps take up a lot of space!”
While heat pump units can be quite large compared to a high efficiency combi boiler, they have the benefit of being outside your home. Depending on the heating system you previously had, this has the added benefit of sometimes freeing up space within your home as you’ll no longer have to have a clunky gas boiler in a cupboard or a kitchen.
We will, however, still need space inside your home for some components, but many of these components are similar to ones you’d have with a normal gas boiler.
Myth #8: “Heat pumps are used for heating only!”
Air-to-water heat pumps, such as the ones we install will heat your home and the water that comes out of your taps. If you haven’t already got a hot water cylinder we will have to find space for one of these as well.
A correctly designed and installed heat pump system will give you all the heat and hot water you and your family needs all day and night and at any time of the year.
Myth #9: “A heat pump needs frequent maintenance work!”
Like gas boilers, heat pumps still need to be regularly serviced to ensure they continue to work efficiently. Just like your old boiler they will need an annual service to remain under warranty. Because they’re not having to burn a fuel, they also tend to break down and need repairs much less often.
The key for an air source heat pump is that they are a ‘set it and forget it’ element of your home. A good installation is something that may feel like a huge undertaking at the time, but is soon forgotten due to trouble-free operation.
Myth #10: “Heat pumps are money wasters!”
A heat pump system installed and operated inefficiently can certainly be a money waster – but then turning a gas boiler on with all the windows open is just as much a waste of money. However, an air source heat pump system installed by certified experts will be the opposite of this.
Many of the complaints that have been written about heat pump installations have been where the design of the system and the subsequent installation may not have been carried out correctly. When you work with us, we make sure we work with the best trained installers so that your journey to net zero is as painless as possible.
Whilst the initial outlay can be a high one, the returns and benefits far ourweigh the negatives and we have many happy customers who have seen savings since installing a heat pump in their properties.