What Are The Advantages of a Heat Pump?
- They’re great for the environment – emitting zero carbon when used with a renewable electricity company
- They’re a highly energy-efficient source for heating and hot water
- They’re cheaper to run than other home heating systems
- The installation cost can be offset by Renewable Heat Incentive payments
- They’re low maintenance and can last for up to 20 years
- They’re safer than gas boilers.
What Are The Disadvantages of a Heat Pump?
- They’re more expensive to buy and install than gas boilers
- A hot water cylinder is needed if you don’t already have one or a hybrid system to work with a combi boiler
- A home needs to be well insulated for a heat pump to work efficiently.
- Radiators may need to be replaced with bigger ones to achieve the same indoor temperature as a boiler or electric heaters.
- Outside space is required for the heat pump to be installed.
Savings From Heat Pump
It’s impossible to give an exact figure on savings from heat pumps because their running costs depend on so many varying factors, such as:
- The electricity tariff
- How the heat pump is operated
- What system it’s replacing
- The average air temperature of its location throughout the year
However, according to the Energy Saving Trust, while heat pumps need electricity to work, the amount of heat that is delivered to a home is more than the amount of electricity the heat pump uses to power its system. This should make them more energy-efficient than a boiler or other electrical heating system such as storage heaters.