Heat pumps have been around for a little while now. For a long time, they were considered a relatively niche solution, with a long list of ‘experts’ telling us why they didn’t work. Things have been changing for a few years now, however, and it seems like we may be entering into the age of heat pumps.
This isn’t just a random event – there are good reasons why so many people are choosing to adopt them over conventional boilers. Whether due to their impressive efficiency or the increasing convenience when it comes to installation, these are a few of the main reasons behind heat pumps’ growing popularity in the UK.
They’re highly efficient
The biggest selling point of heat pumps is how efficient they are. By harnessing the energy of the surrounding environment, they can put out 3-4 times as much energy as you put in (resulting in 300-400% efficiency), substantially more than the 90% energy efficiency you get from most gas boilers.
Due to the fact that the energy source heat pumps use (electricity) is more expensive than the gas used in traditional boilers, your heating sadly won’t be 4 times cheaper. You will still likely make savings, dependent on energy prices.
Government grants
Historically, one of the biggest arguments against heat pumps was the cost of installation. While the installation process is still more annoying to navigate than with a conventional boiler, there are some useful government grants that can make it a lot more accessible as a solution for many people.
In addition to getting £7,500 from the government, there are also useful services such as Thermly that can help you along the way. They make it much easier to figure out if your home could benefit from a heat pump, providing advice for each stage of the process.
Gas prices
As you’ll no doubt have seen and experienced first-hand, gas prices have absolutely shot up over the past few years. The result has been that some people have seen their energy bills as much as double over a staggeringly short time frame.
As a result, the benefit of having a more efficient heating solution that’s not reliant on natural gas has become even more pronounced. It makes it a far more attractive solution from a financial point of view, and means that you’ll see a return on your initial investment in a far shorter timeframe. That, combined with the fact that heat pumps last longer than gas boilers, should mean that you save a lot of money in the medium and long term.
Whether heat pumps continue to rise in popularity is anyone’s guess, but we reckon that the odds are swinging in that direction. With ongoing instabilities in the natural gas market, the looming threat of global warming and potentially cheaper sources of electricity emerging, we reckon heat pumps are going to be the way to go. With that in mind, it’s not a question of if you’ll get one, but when.
