Do I need to start saving so I can actually use a heat pump in my house?

[Wisteriac43]

I live in a detached Georgian house - we've done some decorating, the windows have secondary glazing, loft is insulated but the walls are solid. Am I the only one slightly horrified thinking we will all have to move to heatpumps? I think there is quite a bit we'd need to do so it would be even partially effective and I can see it costing atleast £50k to do all the insulation, double glazed windows, floor heating. We are trying to save for pensions and to help DC at uni, but are we instead going to have to put everything into having a house where a heat pump works?!

They’re apparently not very economical. They heat water to 50 degrees but most people have their water hotter than that so if you put it up to 60 degrees it’ll cost much more. They’re apparently not that good in really cold weather either.
From what I’ve read, they don’t seem to be that great.

They would be a disaster for us.

My home sounds similar to yours but I don't think we could ever get it insulated to a level where a heat pump would work.

Unless you’re 14 yrs old, this is not a problem for your lifetime. ,
most people under 40 In this country cannot afford houses, let alone the exotic virtue signalling joy of heat pumps.

If you’re really bothered, sell your Georgian house and buy a triple insulated modern box that can be heated all winter by a single tea light.

Meantime the rest of us sull just try to survive.

If you’re really bothered, sell your Georgian house and buy a triple insulated modern box that can be heated all winter by a single tea light.

And that cooks you alive the minute the temperature outside gets above 20 degrees.

To put another point of view, i live in a village with no gas (not as unusual as many people think). We previously had night-storage heaters on economy-7 electricity but they were crap at heating. We got an air source hear pump that just blows hot air in one point and it circulates around the house. It took a bit of getting used to leaving the doors all open for it to circulate but it is wonderful having a warm house. Disclaimer, i live southerly and it is very mild compared to Scotland, so rarely gets too cold for it to function, and on those occasions i use a small oil-filled radiator. The water is still heated electrically with an emersion heater. It is pricier than gas, but then we never had that option. It is cheaper than other electric-only options.

(Victorian house, i should have said)

We are electric only no heat pump though just electric radiators. Saving up atm to get ones I can control from my phone. Other wise I have to manually turn them on. I live in the arse end of the highland and we've got snow threating already. Heat pumps are useless up here

I've been looking at (150 year old +) houses - most of which have no gas. With a woodburner for back up they seem a reasonably sensible option. I'd not consider one if I get a house on mains gas though. Not yet. They will be cheaper and better (or there will be a new thing) by the time gas isn't an option.

I worry about the same thing - similar house, listed of course, urgh. I keep telling myself, when the house was built there was no heating and everyone lived in it then so I guess we will just eventually live in it with not much heating either?!

RubaiyatOfAnyone that's interesting - we have a conservatory that gets very hot in the sun and leave the door open sometimes so the hot air spreads around the house, is that the same principle?

They are apparently very popular in Scandinavian countries. They can certainly deal with the cold! But Scandinavian houses are better insulated and are built with them in mind.

But I agree with a PP, I’m going to wait a good few years. Not only is the fitting of the tech to our existing systems new but are there enough people with the skills to fit them, not to mention the engineers to keep them running.

You've got until 2035 before you need to worry too much about replacing a gas boiler with something else. I've just had a new gas boiler installed recently

Family members fitted them two years ago. They do indeed stop working when it’s too cold, even on the south coast of England. Its hard to get engineers as they are so new. won’t be getting one for a couple decades. There will be better technology by then surely.

I can't believe it either op it's horrific.

We've only just been able to afford a new boiler after the 20 years old glow worm failed.

You don’t have to immediately or yet, or even by 2035. There’ll be a future ban on the sale of new gas boilers but not the removal of old ones. The heat pump grants aren’t even live yet and they’re an incentive, not part of a mandatory order.

I’d focus on pensions and uni savings but looking into energy efficiency tips and making a long-term plan for insulation and heating won’t hurt. But it’s not going to cost you £50k – let keenos and those in easier to retrofit house be early adopters and you pick up the tech when it’s at scale and cheaper and more efficient.

Our long term plan is to get more solar panels and batteries to store the excess power. We will then change our current gas boiler to an electric one. Our house has solid walls and I don't think would be suitable for a heat pump heating system.

I can understand people being worried about it as it's obviously very different to the norm people are used to.

To add a different perspective though, I live rurally and my home isn't connected to mains gas or water. We do have mains electricity!

We have solar panels and a ground source heat pump which was installed about 9 years ago. It's great, the heat pump + solar panels do the majority of our heating/hot water. Some days, our water can get to 70+ degrees so plenty hot enough. We do also have a wood burning aga which is connected to the heating/hot water system. We use that when it is really cold and the ground source doesn't give us enough. I don't know much about air source pumps so possibly a fire isn't necessary with those.

The only thing we use gas for is the gas hob so we just have a cylinder delivered every couple of years.

It's honestly fine 🙂 I actually like having some green energy sources. If you sat in my house, you wouldn't know that it was heated by heat pump.

Yes poor you. We should definitely condemn the planet to a 4 degree rise in temperature with all the resultant misery to avoid you having to insulate your house, or trade it in for a more fuel efficient model.

I'm hoping that hydrogen will eventually replace natural gas

I own a 1900's house with a gas boiler installed in 2015. It's under guarantee until 2022, and should last an extra 5 years, maybe 7. That takes me to 2029.

I save for house things all the time, usually £100 a month goes into the house account. My fridge freezer is 16 yo so suspect that will be next but already thinking about a ground source heat pump. I've checked the spec and have space outside allocated in my head.

I'll save and hope the price comes down as they become more popular. It's just the same as planning for a new car or any other big purchase. I'll just have to cope somehow.

We looked at house we were going to purchase and the (horrible!) neighbour came and shouted at us when we were viewing the back garden and told us in no uncertain terms that when we “commission” the outdoor heat pump, she categorically will call the councils noise pollution department to tell us to turn it off
I have absolutely no idea about them but she has got it in her head that it will stop her watching TV .

Is this true?

@Bootikin

Unless you’re 14 yrs old, this is not a problem for your lifetime. , most people under 40 In this country cannot afford houses, let alone the exotic virtue signalling joy of heat pumps.

If you’re really bothered, sell your Georgian house and buy a triple insulated modern box that can be heated all winter by a single tea light.

Meantime the rest of us sull just try to survive.

This - why are people getting so worked up about this - no-one will hold a gun to your head to make you install a heat pump. Most people live in modest homes of necessity and physically could not have one let alone afford one OP - YABU and smug in boasting about your Georgian house (assume it is listed!)

Just buy a new gas boiler in about 10 years and keep it in the garage till you need it, that’s what I plan to do but by then the heat pump situation will either be a. cheaper or b. fallen by the wayside.
Newer houses - 1990’s+ Like my DD’s house, tend to have microbore pipework and small rads which wont work with heat pumps, changing the whole central heatng system and digging out walls + floors will beyond the means of most people.
An A rated gas boiler is by far the most efficient means of heat.
Where is all this extra electricity going to come from anyway?? You need to run a heat pump 24/7.
I follow Gosforth handyman on Youtube and he did a video recently that looks at the pros and cons, he is fully renovating a house and decided against a heat pump.

I wouldn't worry too much...its a long way off...and they need to deal with china, usa and even germany if worried about pollution !!

I have a similar house and we have a heat pump. It works really well.

We have secondary double glazing rather than double glazing the paned windows. We have replaced the radiators with larger period style radiators rather than underfloor. Insulating the loft cost about £30.

The biggest cost was the pump itself (about £6k) and putting internal solid wall insulation up which we did ourselves so can't really comment on cost. Given the thickness of our external walls I'm not sure that the solid wall insulation really makes a huge difference.

Water at 50 is fine for baths and showers for us although you could have an electric shower alongside.

And it's no noisier than the ancient oil boiler it replaced.

Scaremongering here. Heat pumps are widely used across Scandinavia which is far colder.

Solid walled houses are cold anyway, we internally insulated ours using plasterboard with insulation, made a huge difference and costs about £400 a room