What are people's opinions on energy heat pumps?
Posted by Jitterfinger@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 22 comments
Looking for people opinions on energy heat pumps, for a little background my house is east-west facing built in 1911, i applied for a grant last year to make my house more energy efficient and this is one of the things I qualify for. I currently have a gas boiler connected to an emersion heater but I can only get things like hot water by turning the whole heating on.
Anyway i have spoken to a few people who have heat pumps and gotten mixed messaged, some say its best thing they did once you get use to it.
Others say its not that great the cost of running it is high unless you have solar panels/batteries.
Just looking for more opinions or if im bedtime saving for s new boiler.
Thanks in advance ☺️
RobertGHH@reddit
Electricity is more expensive than gas. Unless you have free electricity from solar panels (and they aren't free to install and payback period will vary. You might never live to see any savings) then a gas combi boiler is still the most cost effective solution for heating and hot water.
madbobmcjim@reddit
Currently this is kind of true, but heat pumps are significantly more efficient that gas boilers, so it's not 1:1 comparison.
RobertGHH@reddit
In ideal conditions a heat pump is absolutely more efficient than a gas boiler. However a gas boiler retains it's efficiency in almost all normal conditions, is compact and highly effective at doing it's job, is cheaper to purchase and gas is multiples cheaper than electricity at the moment which offsets most of the efficiency gains of a heat pump.
Now if the UK built lots of nuclear, bolstered the grid and brought electricity prices close to parity with gas then heat pumps would absolutely make sense for most homes. Given the net zero loons in power though I can't see that happening, their solution is to reduce consumption which will fail.
madbobmcjim@reddit
Sure, but if your heat pump install is getting anywhere near the efficiency of a gas boiler it was badly installed or the system was badly designed.
RobertGHH@reddit
You misunderstand.
In ideal conditions a heat pump might have an efficiency rating of 3, whereas the gas boiler is probably 0.8-0.9.
However the heat pump costs 3x as much to run as the gas boiler. So it's cheaper.
When the weather gets colder the heat pump might drop to 2x efficiency, the gas boiler remains at 0.8-0.9, the heat pump still costs 3x as much to run as the gas boiler. Now it's expensive.
The heat pump takes up much more space, requires better insulation to be effective and without grants is maybe 5x the install cost of a gas boiler. You also need to find room for a hot water tank. I don't have space for that in my little flat.
madbobmcjim@reddit
No, I understand.
Ideal installations of heat pumps are getting above 5.
My install is guaranteed a minimum of 3.6 down to -2 outside temperature or the installer has to update my system to make that so.
And that is with a 1970s house that isn't that easy to insulate (although I've had a good go) and also older radiators that I should really upgrade
Install price is higher, the grants really help, but even with them it's a bit more than double the cost of a gas system, but I'm hoping the greater longevity of heat pump systems offsets that a bit.
RobertGHH@reddit
I hope you aren't but in the long run I suspect you will have regrets. Best of luck to you though.
A heat pump is a non-starter for me in a small flat. I can't add insulation, I don't have space for a hot water tank and I don't own the land outside to install the condenser etc.
madbobmcjim@reddit
They don't fit well currently in a lot of places, but they are getting better all the time, and people are seeing good results with them in places that classically had problems, so don't give up on the tech completely 🙂
RobertGHH@reddit
Unless they are going to make my flat bigger then I don't think there is much in the tech for me 😂
madbobmcjim@reddit
Yeah, the outside space access is going to be a problem for a while. There are small cylinders that can fit in the space of a kitchen cupboard, and smaller heat pumps that could work in a balcony, but that's still impossible for some.
PatTheCatMcDonald@reddit
The biggest down side I have heard to them is that heat pumps don't give very hot water.
Also, hard water areas, they need a lot more maintenance due to scaling? Could be wrong on that.
Alert_Variation_2579@reddit
They can give up to 70c water, though I never know why you need it as anything over 45c is into scalding territory.
For heating, the lower the flow temperature (the water going to the rads) the more efficient by huge margins. They give more than enough heat, but you may need bigger/thicker radiators to distribute the heat to the rooms with the lower flow temperatures.
In hard water areas they tend to be better than high temperature heat sources like gas boilers as it’s the high temperatures that helps precipitate scaling.
_morningglory@reddit
We have a heat pump in a Victorian terrace without batteries or solar. It's great. Overall energy bills down compared to gas boiler, laregly because you can use Time Of Use tariffs to heat your house and hot water tank when electricity is really cheap. House is constantly at a steady comfortable temperature. Got rid of gas completely so no standing charges for that. The technology has a lot less to go wrong than a gas boiler so less chance of problems. The people you hear about with high costs and cold houses usually have poor installations and set ups.
MacSamildanach@reddit
There is so much conflicting information. You'll get some sources which seem to claim you can melt iron from the heat provided by them, but you'll get people who've actually had them installed who say they can't heat the house properly.
This link is fairly objective (and it is just one):
The Disadvantages of Air Source Heat Pumps
In the UK, you're almost certainly going to need an air-sourced heat pump. The ground-sourced ones need lots of ground space to install the coils.
I think the whole issue with heat pumps comes down to the conservation of energy theory. And in modern terms, that pretty much translates to 'conservation of how much it is going to cost you'.
In an typical case, it might cost a lot more to install, and result in only minimal savings in running costs, which means recouping outlay could take many years.
They sound brilliant on paper. But I'm repeatedly put off by the negative reviews of them.
cgknight1@reddit
Most of the people in this category try to run them like a boiler (in my experience).
cgknight1@reddit
What is a energy heat pump?
I have an air to water heat pump and it has been fine.
idontknow-imaduck@reddit
What people should be thinking about is the 'saving of the planet' by reducing fossil fuel usage, and not the saving in their wallet.
Unfortunately, as always these things are expensive, so it always comes down to money first.
Would love to reduce carbon footprint, but can't afford it.
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
Not worth the cost unless you are already electric only, but a very clever technology
PetersMapProject@reddit
Basically impossible to install in Wales because there's a whole list of restrictions as to where you can put them without planning permission.
I live in a good sized 3 bed end of terrace house - a corner plot.
I'm not allowed to put it on the front or side of the house because they face the highway.
I can't put it in the back garden because it has to be 3m from the boundary on e either side, a tight squeeze, meaning the only place it could go would look utterly ridiculous and partially block the back door.
I'm not allowed to put it on the roof because I have a pitched roof.
https://www.gov.wales/planning-permission-heat-pumps
I've literally never seen or heard of anyone having a heat pump in Wales because they make it basically impossible if you have a normal house and not a 10 bed detached mansion in the middle of nowhere.
Classic_Mammoth_9379@reddit
I don't fully understand your current setup. Most people with a gas boiler have an (electric) immersion purely as a backup, so it's generally not used. What are you saying your setup is?
A heat pump is a very efficient way to heat. The problem in the UK is that even though gas is technically less efficient in terms of energy usage than a heat pump i.e. not as much energy changes to heat, the reality is that gas is so much cheaper that from a cost effective perspective it's much closer. You don't necessarily need batteries or solar, but lowering your energy prices by having solar generate it for 'free' or by using batteries to buy off peak and use in the day helps. There are simpler options like Octopus Cosy which has several lower priced periods in the day, specifically to cater to heat pump users.
SeniorPea8614@reddit
Watch technology connection on YouTube. That guy loves a heat pump, and explains how they work in more detail than you’ll need, but entertainingly.
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