Plumber said NO to new heat pump. Do I really need a new gas boiler?

[Handy123]

Our gas boiler needs replacing as it's knackered. Plumber came round and said a new air source heat pump system would not work. We have the budget for it (yes I know it's very expensive) and want to stop burning fossil fuels and protect the environment.

It's a small 2 bed terrace, very old. It's built of stone so I can insulate the roof space easily, but the walls less so. Does not currently have underfloor heating and has small radiators. It has a garden to put the heat pump in, but he has said it would be noisy and would pump out cold air so it would make the garden unusable.

I really like our plumber as he's usually brilliant. Straight-talking, fair and honest. Should I accept his advice on this one or keep trying? It just seems wrong to put a new gas boiler in right now.

He probably knows that the heat pump system will not work as it’s now a new, very well insulated house. If you insist that he installs it, he knows you be complaining even though you insisted on it. If I was him I would refuse to do the install knowing what headaches it will cause in the future. Just Google ‘heat pump problems’ and spend the rest of the weekend talking yourselfa out of it.

There is a lot of misinformation about heat pumps.

Any heating system will be more efficient if you insulate your property, roof, floors, glazing etc. Do this first whether you plan on sticking with gas or changeing to renewables.

There are high temperature heat pumps specifically designed for older properties e.g. Daikin Altherma HT www.daikin.co.uk/en_gb/product-group/air-to-water-heat-pump-high-temperature/daikin-altherma-3h-ht.html

If I were in your position I would probably go modern efficient gas, insulate everything, and get my gas from here: www.greenenergyuk.com/greengas

Your boiler probably only last ten to fifteen years, change then.

Get in a specialist company to assess, OP, but from my experience (work in aligned area) you’ll need to use your allocated budget to move to a newer house which has been sustainably built and already with (or capable of adding) eco-heating options. As others have said, older buildings need to breath so are unsuitable for high levels of insulation... my colleague who manages to live in a stone cottage in a highly eco-conscious way basically uses very little heating, which is only an option in this climate when you’re young and fit.

Any heating system will be more efficient if you insulate your property, roof, floors, glazing etc. Do this first whether you plan on sticking with gas or changeing to renewables.

absolutely this.

[quote iwishiwasafish]@RainingYetAgain are you able to share any details? Model of pump and anything else relevant?

We are going with an air source heat pump with a new build passivehaus (A rated), but have been told that the pump will be noisy, will make a large part of the garden unusable, and won’t heat the house to more that 16-17 degrees.[/quote]
16 - 17 degrees is not exactly balmy. I don't go over 20 on my thermostat but 16 is quite unpleasant