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Heat pumps are currently the frontrunner to replace gas boilers over the coming decades as the country moves towards net zero.
The Government wants 600,000 of the devices installed each year by 2028, while gas boilers will be phased out. By 2035, some households will be banned from replacing gas boilers like-for-like, although that will not mean having a pre-existing gas boiler will suddenly become illegal.
In September, Rishi Sunak announced several changes to the Government’s net zero plans, which include gas boiler ban exemptions for the fifth of homes for whom heat pumps would be ineffective. This includes off-gas-grid-homes, people who need expensive retrofitting or a very large electricity connection.
The Government has also increased heat pump grants to £7,500, up from £5,000 for air source heat pumps and £6,000 for ground source options. However, the typical cost of buying and installing a heat pump is £13,000.
Publicly available figures from standards body MCS suggests there are now more than 203,400 heat pumps installed across the whole of the UK, as uptake improves but still falls drastically short of government targets.
Heat pumps don’t suit all homes; here are six reasons why it might not be the best option for you.
1. The cost is prohibitive
The main barrier to installing these devices for most homes is the disproportionately large upfront cost when compared to traditional heating systems.
A survey for the RSK Group, the services provider, found that on average the public believes heat pumps cost around £3,290 to purchase and install.
In reality, the costs are much higher. While a replacement gas boiler can cost around £1,000 to £3,000, an air source heat pump can cost between £7,000 and £14,000 to purchase and install, and ground source heat pumps can cost between £15,000 and £35,000.
The Government expects the cost of these devices to come down in the coming years and earlier in 2023 a price war among energy providers has seen a number of low-cost models enter the market, as energy companies compete to drive prices down.
In January, British Gas announced it would fit heat pumps for as little as £2,999. Weeks later, Octopus Energy, a rival, announced it would be launching a heat pump at £2,500 – the same price or cheaper than a typical gas boiler. However, most consumers are expected to end up paying between £3,000 and £3,500, depending on the size of their home.
2. They are slower at heating homes
At present, heat pumps can be slower at heating a home than a conventional boiler or electric heater. Traditional central heating systems heat water by burning gas, which can take radiators to around 75C.
Hydrogen boilers will operate in a similar manner once they become widely available.
Heat pumps only heat water to a maximum of around 65C, meaning houses that use them take longer to warm up.
3. Better models will be available in the near future
In 2022, the UK installed 42,779 heat pumps, which equates to 1.48 per 1,000 people and was the smallest number in Europe. The figure was also well short of the Government’s 600,000 target, and a tiny amount in comparison to the 1.6 million gas boilers installed over the same period.
In an interview with The Telegraph, former Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng conceded that, while gas boilers had been “refined over many years … heat pumps are still in their infancy”.
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