Can a heat pump save you money on your energy bills?
They’re touted as one of the technologies that will help the UK tackle the climate crisis; promising incredible efficiency and potentially offering to lower your heating bills.
But could a heat pump really save you money on your heating costs? Let’s find out…
What is a heat pump?
Most traditional boilers use electricity or burn fuel – such as natural gas, oil or liquified petroleum gas (LPG) – to produce heat.
That’s not great news for the environment. In fact, the UK’s heating sector reportedly accounts for almost a third of the UK’s carbon footprint each year.
Heat pumps are different. Instead of burning fuel to create heat, they capture the heat energy that’s naturally present in the environment around us.
While heat pumps do consume electricity in order to function, they don’t produce any emissions of their own, and they can effectively harvest energy far more efficiently than traditional boilers can generate energy by burning fuels.
What types of heat pumps are there?
The two most common types are air-source heat pumps (ASHPs; also sometimes called air-to-water heat pumps) and ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs; also known as ground-to-water heat pumps).
Air source heat pumps use an external unit located above ground outside your property, which extracts heat energy from the outside air.
This thermal energy is then passed to a refrigerant fluid, which is then compressed to turn up the temperature. A heat exchanger then transfers the heat to your home’s hot taps and radiators (and/or underfloor heating).
Ground source heat pumps work very similarly, but instead use a loop of pipework buried underground outside your property. Fluid passing through the pipe absorbs the heat energy from the ground and passes it to the heat exchanger to heat your home.
Are heat pumps really 300% efficient?
You might have read before that heat pumps have an efficiency rating of 300% or even 400%. That’s not exactly true; as with any machine, some of the energy that goes into running the heat pump will be lost.
However, it’s certainly true that for every 1 kilowatt of electrical power, most heat pumps can harvest around 3 kilowatts of heat (or even 4 kilowatts for certain models).
That’s because the heat pump isn’t really creating the heat itself, but simply capturing the heat energy already present outside and transferring it into your home.
Do heat pumps still work in winter?
Surely though, heat pumps will only work if the temperature outside is hot as well; right?
In fact, heat pumps still work efficiently at temperatures as low as -10°c to -15°c.
Why? It’s because the particles that make up our world are always in motion, and that motion naturally produces thermal energy.
Even when the weather feels chilly to us, there’s still plenty of thermal energy in the solid, liquid and gas particles around us; and heat pumps enable us to use that energy to heat our homes.
How much can you save on heating bills with a heat pump?
According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average three-bedroom semi-detached home could save £590 a year by switching from an old G-rated boiler to an air source heat pump – or even £1,500 a year by switching from an old electric storage heater!
Ground source heat pumps can offer even better savings; with an estimated annual saving of £670 when switching from an old G-rated boiler, or £1,600 when switching from an old electric storage heater.
Are heat pumps worth it?
So, should you invest in a heat pump for your property? Well, it depends.
The good news is, there’s a good chance that installing a heat pump will help you save on your heating bills.
How much your particular property will save, though – and whether the savings justify the installation costs – will depend on your circumstances.
In order to ensure the best efficiency, longevity and heating cost savings of a new heat pump system, it needs to be carefully planned around the size, layout and materials of the property where it’s being installed.
Be sure to go with a reputable installer who can supply and install the right heat pump system for your particular property.
We’ve already discussed the annual savings; but it could take a while for those savings to catch up to the installation costs. Right now, the supply and installation of an air source heat pump is likely to set you back somewhere around £10,000.
However, there is financial support available. The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides grants of up to £5,000 for ASHPs and up to £6,000 for GSHPs.
And the government is aiming to cut the price of heat pumps in half by 2025; although it remains to be seen whether those prices will actually fall significantly.
What to do first
As the challenges of climate change continue, heat pumps are likely to become the future of domestic heating in the UK; but if the price is too steep for you right now, there are cheaper ways to improve your property which could still lower your bills.
Firstly, investigate whether your property needs better insulation. Upgrading to modern insulation is relatively inexpensive, and you’ll likely be able to achieve decent savings by preventing heat loss (therefore improving the efficiency of your existing heating system).
Secondly, if you’re still relying on an old G-rated boiler or electric storage heater, switching to an A-rated boiler is a much cheaper alternative to a heat pump installation.
The potential heating bill savings probably won’t be as much as you’d save with a heat pump, but you’ll still get heating which is more efficient, more eco-friendly and less expensive than your previous boiler.
Just keep in mind, the average lifespan of an A-rated boiler is 10 to 15 years. It’s not really economical to then switch to a heat pump before the boiler’s lifespan is up, so you’ll need to commit to one or the other.
JC Electrical UK has been assisting with heat pump installations as part of larger electrical installation projects across West London.
If you need a hand with your heat pump project, we’re here to help; just call us on 0208 839 9561 or email info@jcelectric.co.uk to discuss your requirements today
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