ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES - What are Air Source Heat Pumps & how affordable are they?
Our Finnis Street property was fitted with an Air Source Heat Pump; the house is now warm and cosy, with much lower bills and a significantly reduced environmental impact
Many people have wanted to switch to renewable energy sources at home for a long time, as it’s critical to reducing our collective carbon emissions. Yet due to the technology being relatively new, it has remained expensive to do so.
With the recent sharp rise in energy costs however, we are having many more conversations with people looking at options for installing home renewable systems. Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) are one of the most suitable and widely applicable systems for urban homeowners. So what are they, and are they a viable and cost effective way to heat our homes?
🔥 ASHPs extract heat from the air and can even continue to be effective in temperatures as low as -25°C. While this might sound like sorcery, the simplest way to explain it is like a reverse air conditioning unit. Requiring very little electricity to run and completely removing the need for gas, they dramatically decrease carbon emissions and our reliance on fossil fuels, as well as being a lot cheaper to run.
💡As part of the government's strategy to significantly cut carbon emissions from the UK’s 30 million homes, various grants and initiatives are being introduced, the latest of which is the ‘Boiler Upgrade Scheme’ - offering up to £5000 towards the cost of a heat pump.
💲The capital cost of fitting these heat pumps has traditionally remained a major barrier for most households. Taking into consideration the recent surge in energy prices however, our analysis shows that the ‘payoff’ period has reduced from 7 years in 2021 to around 4.5 years in 2023, i.e. it is now over a third (35%) faster to see the benefit of the investment and have significantly lower energy bills going forward. (Based on data for an ‘average’ household and costs that we have seen on recent projects)
🏡 It's important to note that switching to an ASHP isn’t completely straightforward; there are many considerations around the positioning of the equipment and the spatial requirements of this. Planning permission may also be required.
Changing your energy system as part of a home renovation can be an ideal and cost-efficient time to carry out these works, that will both reduce your emissions AND lower your bills. Our team is ready to help you take the first steps on this journey so do get in touch to start a conversation.
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