Green Services Direct

England, Scotland and Wales survey finds similar satisfaction levels to people with gas boilers.

More than 70% of people who replaced their gas boilers with an electric heat pump are satisfied with their new heating system, according to the first major survey of heat pump users.

This figure rises to 81% among households who switched to heat pumps from electric heating, oil or liquid petroleum gas (LPG) boilers, the survey commissioned by innovation charity Nesta found.

The survey of more than 2,500 domestic heat pump owners and more than 1,000 domestic gas boiler owners in England, Scotland and Wales last winter is believed to be the largest investigation into how households have responded to the technology.

The UK government has set a target of 600,000 heat pump installations each year by 2028. However, less than one percent of homes in the UK currently have a heat pump and the technology is unfamiliar to most households.

In a 2022 league table of heat-pump installations in 17 European nations, Britain came last with two pumps for every 1,000 homes. Finland came top with 69 per 1,000 closely followed by Norway and Sweden.

The cost of heat pumps and bad press have threatened to derail the Governments plans to significantly increase take-up. Even with a government voucher of £5,000 for an air source heat pump, the upfront cost is still too high for many households.

However, that might be about to change. In February, Octopus Energy and British Gas announced they will reduce the costs of fully installed heat pumps, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, to as low as £2,500 and £2,999 respectively.

Meanwhile the recent survey found those who use heat pumps to warm their homes reported broadly similar levels of satisfaction to those with gas boilers. More than 85% of are happy with their reliability and safety.

One notable difference was with ‘ease of use and control’ with heat pump users reporting lower satisfaction levels.

On running costs, which is another key area of concern for households, the survey found 60% are satisfied with their running costs, which is similar to gas boiler owners at 59%.

Perhaps surprisingly, “there was no evidence that satisfaction varied by property age,” said the report. People living in Victorian or mid-century properties were just as satisfied as people living in newer homes at 83% despite concerns that heat pumps are only effective in modern buildings with cavity wall insulation.

The survey found that improving building fabric alongside heat pump installation was common “but by no means universal.” Prior to installation, 36% of heat pump users carried out loft insulation and 23% installed wall insulation or extra window glazing. Only 14% undertook multiple measures. By comparison, 33% of gas boiler installations included energy efficiency upgrades.

Some changes are required, however. Because heat pumps usually run at 43C compared with fossil-fuelled boilers which heat water to 70C-plus, larger radiators are often recommended for those without underfloor heating.

Of the households with heat pumps that took part in the survey, 68% had installed bigger radiators.  Another possible hurdle is that heat pumps require a hot water storage tank and households with combi-boilers no longer have those.

Earlier this year, the Lords Environmental and Climate Change Committee warned the Government’s 2028 target of 600,000 installations per year was very unlikely to be met. Less than 9,000 heat pumps were installed in the first three months of this year. Campaigners have called for free heat pumps for low-income households.

Case study: Heat pump work well for homeowners off the gas grid who upgraded from oil boiler

In October 2018, Alistair and Margaret decided to install an air source heat pump at their property – a detached 1980s house located off the gas grid in a village near Winchester. The couple wanted to protect themselves against fluctuating oil prices. Going green wasn’t the main reason for switching but they are delighted to “do their bit for the environment,” said Alistair, a retired actor turned drama teacher turned school inspector.

The couple spent £10,950, including VAT, on an air source heat pump, replacing an old oil boiler. This sum included £750 for two big new radiators. The five-bedroom house was already well-insulated, so they didn’t need to add any insulation.

At the time, the couple were able to take advantage of the Renewable Heat Initiative (RHI), a subsidy scheme that aimed to encourage homeowners to switch to green central heating systems. Payback times under the RHI will work out at about seven years. “We get four payments a year of £390 into our bank account. We are very happy with that,” said Alistair.

Energy from a heat pump is not free: the pump runs on electricity. Replacing an oil boiler for a heat pump could mean swapping an oil bill for higher electricity bills. To avoid this, the couple installed 18 solar panels. The heat pump runs off solar energy.  “It was a no-brainer to get solar panels,” said Alistair. The solar panels were “expensive” costing thousands of pounds.

“All my hot water is now heated with sun from the solar panels in summer and the heat pump in winter.” In June, his  total household electricity bill was just £10. And that included everything from boiling a kettle to switching on the lights.

Additionally, operating the heat pump has cut their fuel bill by about third compared to buying oil. On top of this, the couple are paid for producing their own electricity from a renewable source and selling any surplus back to the National Grid. They recently switched to Octopus Energy for a higher rate.

Alistair said: “We had a battery installed with the solar panel to store the solar energy our PV panels produce. We can’t get any greener! When there isn’t any sunshine at night, our electricity comes from solar power stored in the battery.  When the battery is fully charged, any surplus energy is exported to the National Grid.”

People need to educate themselves because the new technology is different, says Alistair. “With a heat pump the water in the radiators only heats to about 43C whereas with gas boilers or oil boilers the radiators are 70+C. “As a result, the radiators only feel warm, never hot, but if your house is insulated and you keep the heat pump on, it will heat up your home sufficiently and meet your hot water  needs.

“I think that is where a lot of people go wrong. They think it’s a waste of money because the radiators never get hot. We set the temperature at 18.5C and keep the heat pump on virtually all the time in winter.” He said that works better than switching the system on and off.

One problem, says Alistair, has been finding a company to service his heat pump after his installer went out of business. “Find an installer with a good back-up plan,” he advises.

How do heat pumps work?

An air source heat pump looks like an air conditioning unit and needs to be located outside the home. In simple terms, it works like a fridge in reverse, using electricity to extract freely available warmth from the outside air before concentrating it and transferring it indoors to provide central heating and hot water.

There are also heat pumps that collect heat energy from pipes running underground or water. These are more efficient but require very large gardens or a water source.

As heat pumps are extracting heat from the environment, they produce around four units of clean heat for every one unit of electricity they consume, making them more efficient than gas boilers. In winter, they have to work harder.

British electricity is increasingly powered by low carbon sources, such as wind, making heat pumps a clean alternative to burning fossil fuels. If people can afford it, installing solar panels with batteries to power heat pumps works well.