I wrote in late 2021 about a more environmental future and why we need to invest in new technologies. This was of course before the energy crisis, which has further heightened our awareness of going green and the cost of fossil fuels.
Gas boilers will be outlawed in new houses by 2025 as greater carbon reduction targets are sought and eventually, at some date in the 2030s, existing housing stock will need to find green alternatives. Hydrogen alternatives to gas are still years away, so what alternatives are there?
Well, there are several alternatives – most notably heat pumps – in the form of ground source and air source heat pumps, drawing energy from the ground and the air respectively.
Yet I have seen a number of negative articles in the press about them which is a real shame. So why are people being ‘luddites’ about this technology. They have been around since the 19th century and surely all technologies which reduce our carbon footprint are a good thing?
But of course, it’s not that simple. One of the major factors is the cost and they do cost more than an equivalent gas boiler. I have previously written that the old renewable heat incentive (RHI) was far better than the current boiler upgrade system. A gas replacement boiler costs between £1500 to £3000 and is much cheaper than spending £10k on an air source pump (a ground source system is even more expensive). So, a grant of £5000 is not going to make up the difference.
The government programme has been a failure with only 7,000 vouchers issued from a target of 90,000. We do need to see the products get cheaper and Octopus and British Gas are launching cheaper products this year. For the moment we need greater financial incentives from central government to make them more affordable for the average family.
There have been reports that heat pumps don’t save that much money. Clearly this will depend on what they are replacing and the size of the property they are in. I installed one myself a number of years ago and I can vouch that it is highly economic to run.
Do they work? Again, reports have said they are slower and not as warm. A normal gas boiler heats water to the radiators at around 60-70C whereas as a heat pump heats water to a lower temperature of 45-50C, so a heat pump may need bigger radiators and larger pipes to work effectively. However, when combined with under floor heating which requires heat at a lower temperature, it’s ideal and the benefits are maximised.
Are they noisy? They do emit some noise as an air pump needs to be outside to let the air pass over it. However, ground pumps can be placed inside so there is no outside noise and air pumps are advancing all the time.
Are they Ugly? They do look like AC units, often finished in white (I never understand why white) but some manufacturers are changing this with darker colours and more discreet covers. On the continent they have used them far longer and are better at hiding them in the design of buildings, so we need all housebuilders to think a little harder about where they should sit and build them into the design, not just as an afterthought and bolted on outside.
Am I better just insulating my house? Any boiler will have to work harder if the house is poorly insulated. I would advise everyone to do this first, so even a heat pump will be more inefficient if the house is poorly insulated.
In essence, I am a convert to heat pumps, but I just wish we could make them more affordable for everyone which ultimately, will help homeowners with their energy costs and the country with its carbon footprint .
