Heat Pumps: Cool Tech That’s Hot on Savings—But Not Quite Yet!

Heat pumps are becoming a popular topic as people look for new ways to heat their homes without using gas or oil. Evan Davis, a radio presenter, became interested in heat pumps after he and his husband bought an old house in northern France that already had one installed. At first, the heat pump did not work well, but after it was replaced under warranty, it worked so well that they bought another one for their loft. Evan is fascinated by heat pumps because they represent a big change in how people heat their homes. For thousands of years, people have burned wood, coal, or gas to stay warm. Switching to electric heat pumps is a major shift, similar to when people switched from horses to cars. The UK government wants more people to use heat pumps, but there are challenges. Heat pumps are more expensive to install than gas boilers, and sometimes they cost more to run. This means that right now, heat pumps are mostly bought by people who care about the environment or have extra money. The big question is whether heat pumps will ever save the average person money, especially since gas is still the most common way to heat homes in the UK.

Emily and Stephen Boynton live in a leafy suburb of London and decided to install a heat pump during the pandemic. Emily had just turned fifty and was thinking about her future, retirement, and the environment. They decided to get a heat pump when they were renovating their kitchen, which made it easier to do the necessary work. Their heat pump sits outside and uses the air to heat water, which then warms their radiators and underfloor heating. Before installing the heat pump, they improved their home's insulation, which cost five thousand pounds. The heat pump and underfloor heating cost seventeen thousand pounds, but they received a five thousand pound government grant. Emily keeps track of their energy use and found that after installing the heat pump, their energy use dropped from twenty-eight thousand kilowatt hours to ten thousand, even though more people were living in the house. This shows that heat pumps can be much more efficient than gas boilers, especially when combined with good insulation.

Heat pumps work by moving a chemical called refrigerant around in a closed loop. The pump compresses the refrigerant to make it very hot, which heats water for the house. Then, the refrigerant cools down and becomes very cold, so it can absorb heat from the outside air, even when it is freezing. This process is much more efficient than burning gas. However, heat pumps work best at lower temperatures, so they may not make a house as warm as a gas boiler. Some people find that they need bigger radiators or extra heaters to stay comfortable. In the UK, electricity is about four times more expensive than gas, which makes it hard for heat pumps to save money. In other countries, like France, electricity is cheaper, so heat pumps are more popular. Experts believe that heat pumps are getting better and could help the UK use less gas in the future. If more people use heat pumps, it could help the environment and make the country less dependent on gas from other countries. However, it will take time and changes in energy prices for heat pumps to become the best choice for everyone.