The newly announced government grant of up to £5000 to help householders replace an old boiler with a heat pump is already generating a lot of interest. And the CAfS team are ready to answer your questions.

With a grant of £5000, if you can install an air source heat pump for £7000 then there’s just £2000 to pay, to swap out your old gas boiler and replace it with a heat pump – right?

For some households, it could be that easy. But, even in these cases, there are some important differences between an oil or gas boiler and a heat pump. And it’s important to get a system that is correctly sized for your house, correctly installed, and correctly commissioned. If you can do all of that, you should have a great, low carbon heating system that heats your home effectively for many years to come.

If your house is not currently ‘heat pump ready’, don’t despair, as you can make energy improvements to your home in the meantime. And heat pump technology and costs could make them a better option a few years down the line.  

Beware of sales pitches. We suggest getting independent advice to make sure you can decide on the best solution. Here are the key things to consider (and it’s not an exhaustive list.) 

Heat pump checklist 

  1. Is my house already sufficiently well insulated for a heat pump to heat the house effectively, or will it cost more in electricity if I just install a heat pump now without making any changes? 
  2. If my house is quite well insulated, would it make sense to increase the insulation further so that my heat pump would cost less to run? 
  3. Do I need to make other changes – a new or replacement hot water tank? Bigger radiators? Wider bore pipework? Underfloor heating in some places? What is the cost of these changes and any making good of the interior décor? 
  4. Where is a suitable place to put an Air Source Heat Pump unit outside my house and will I or neighbours hear it? 
  5. Would I want a heat pump installer to size my system including radiators?  
  6. Or would I prefer to have an independent consultant to size the system so that I can ask several installers to quote against the same specification?
  7. How will I distinguish between a competent installer and one that might not be carrying out high quality installations? 
  8. Can I find out about other people’s experiences of installing heat pumps? 

CAfS can help with our free advice service. And for a comprehensive energy audit, there’s our Home Retrofit Planner service, which starts from £600.  

 To find out more:  

Enquire online 

Email us at [email protected]  

Call us on 01768 216500