It’s getting cold out there! You want your home to stay cosy and comfortable all year round, especially in the chilly winter months.
So, what do you do if your heating system just can’t do the job anymore?
There are a lot of options out there, and a lot of factors to keep in mind. From cost and efficiency to environmental impact, each system offers different pros and cons to consider. How do you choose the one that’s right for you?
In this blog, we’ve narrowed it down to two popular options—heat pumps and gas boilers. We’ll walk you through the advantages of each to help you decide which one is right for your home.
What is a heat pump?
Let’s get down to the basics. If you’re unfamiliar with heat pump technology and how it works, we’re here to help.
A heat pump sits outside your house and uses electricity to move warmth from the outside air into your home. In the hotter summer months, a heat pump can take the heat inside and move it out. The result? The temperature in your home stays just right all year round.
There are 2 main types of heat pump:
- Air source heat pumps
- Ground source heat pumps
As their names suggest, they either collect heat from the air or the ground to heat your home.
How does a heat pump work on a cold day?
You’d think that for a heat pump to bring heat in from outside, the air outside would have to be warm already, right? Not necessarily! On chilly days, the heat pump absorbs the outside air and compresses it, heating it before it’s released into your home.
Think of it this way: your fridge can stay cold even when the kitchen heats up. A heat pump works like that, only in reverse—keeping you warm even when it’s cold outside.
How does a gas boiler work?
The gas boiler is a more traditional heating system, and with 23 million homes in the UK using a gas boiler, it’s safe to say they’re still a popular choice.
A gas boiler works by heating gas to produce hot water and warm your home. The gas enters your boiler in two different ways: either through your mains or through a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) bottle.
The hot water produced by the boiler travels through the pipes into your central heating system and radiators.
Costs: heat pumps vs. gas boilers
While prices can vary depending on the provider and the size of your home, the average UK household will pay between £7,000 and £30,000 to buy and install a heat pump.
On the other hand, the average gas boiler can cost between £2,000 and £5,000, including the fitting cost.
Clearly, gas boilers tend to be cheaper to buy and install compared to heat pumps. But, if your heat pump meets certain efficiency standards, you can avail of a government grant of £7,500 to help offset the cost of an air source or ground source heat pump for your home. As it’s a renewable technology, the installation of a heat pump and the underfloor heating or radiators required benefit from a 0% VAT rate
Running costs
Of course, the costs don’t stop at installation or maintenance—you’ll have to factor in the cost of running the system once it’s installed. Here are the current average unit rates and standing charges for gas and electricity (until the end of 2024):
- Electricity: 24.50p per kWh with a standing charge of 60.99p per day
- Gas: 6.24p per kWh with a standing charge of 31.66p per day
With the soaring cost of electricity in recent years, it’s no surprise that gas boilers still come out on top to keep your household energy bills low.
Efficiency
When it comes to your heating system, its efficiency is how much fuel it uses to produce heat energy.
Gas boiler efficiency
Modern A-rated gas boilers are designed to run at 90% efficiency. So, 90% of the energy they use gets converted into heat energy, wasting only 10% via the flue pipe.
Heat pump efficiency
Heat pumps typically have an energy efficiency rating of around 300%. They’re highly efficient because the heat they send into your home is taken from the environment rather than from an energy source like natural gas. For every kilowatt of electricity that the pump uses, you get 3 to 4 times more heat in return.
That sounds like a pretty good deal, right? If your house is properly insulated, it is! If you have an older house or poor insulation, it’s best to fix that before investing in a heat pump or a new gas boiler.
Performance and heat output
The average lifespan of heat pumps and new gas boilers is similar, with both lasting about 15 years. Both need routine, once-a-year servicing to extend their life and keep them running safely, reliably, and efficiently.
But how much heat can they deliver?
Boilers deliver quick bursts of high heat from 70°C to 80°C to heat your home, while heat pumps provide a steadier supply of lower heat at around 35°C to 55°C. Both offer reliable warmth and comfort, but if you prefer to keep things extra warm, a gas boiler might be the one for you.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a heat pump operates better with underfloor heating systems rather than radiators. This can help you determine which system will better suit your home.
Environmental impact
One of the biggest benefits of a heat pump is its eco-friendly nature. Because they use electricity rather than fossil fuels to run, they’re a greener option than many other heating systems. Heat pumps also don’t release any CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
And if the electricity they use comes from a renewable source like solar panels, heat pumps can be completely carbon neutral.
That said, newer gas boilers are much more energy efficient, releasing 10% to 20% less CO2 than their older counterparts. Even so, newer gas boilers have a larger carbon footprint than heat pumps, so if going green is important to you, heat pumps are the way to go!
Keep your home cosy with a boiler or heat pump from Julian Bland Ltd
While a gas boiler and heat pump both have their pros and cons, choosing the right heating system for you depends entirely on your home, your budget, your needs, and your preferences.
And remember, if your home is draughty and poorly insulated, no heating system you install will be able to deliver its full efficiency potential.
Want to discuss your heating options with our professional engineers? We’re happy to help. Or, if you’ve chosen the ideal system for your home, we’re standing by to install gas, LPG and oil boilers as well as heat pumps in Cheshire and the surrounding areas.
Contact us today, and let’s work together to keep your home warm and comfortable all year round.
