Well-fitted heat pumps save households hundreds of pounds on bills, study finds

Well-fitted heat pumps are saving households more than £200 on energy bills, according to a study that finds they are performing much better in UK homes than previously thought.

An analysis led by researchers at the University of Oxford found that when the clean heating systems are properly designed and adjusted for a home, they deliver lower bills, higher comfort and a much smaller carbon footprint than gas boilers.

Heat pumps are seen as a key technology for cutting carbon and gas dependency from heating buildings, but barriers to their uptake include costs and concerns over how well they work in British homes.

Previous trials have suggested a “relatively poor efficiency” of heat pumps in the UK, but the latest analysis shows much higher efficiency is possible, study author Professor Jan Rosenow said.

“That suggests that actually, it is possible to have very efficient heat pumps installed in a number of different houses, different housing types, ages, and different types of heat pumps,” he said.

The findings were based on analysis of real-world heat pump data contributed to open online platform HeatpumpMonitor.org by hundreds of householders from a range of different types of homes who have installed the tech.

Those heat pumps are achieving efficiency levels nearly 40% higher than reported in the previous trials backed by the Government.

It means households in the study are saving around £224 a year on a well-optimised system, compared to heating the same home with a gas boiler.

Prof Rosenow said reasons for the improvement included better installation of heat pumps, correctly sizing the systems so they are not oversized and running in bursts of heat which makes them less efficient, and calibrating the settings to ensure efficiency at the same time as comfort.

The study found the most efficient systems operate with radiator temperatures of around 35C to 40C, far below the 50C to 60C of gas boiler-based heating, which enable the heat pump to work more smoothly and use far less electricity.

“Of course, it’s not every installation, but it definitely shows that with the right training, we can get pretty good efficiencies in the existing building stock in the UK by installing heat pumps,” Prof Rosenow told the Press Association.

He said householders looking to install a heat pump should make sure they get a good installer with a track record of delivering high efficiency.

And he suggested the Government grant scheme for installing heat pumps, the boiler upgrade scheme (Bus), which provides £7,500 for an installation, could offer a premium for more efficient systems.

The study authors also call for continuous review and improvement of training standards, routine monitoring and better guidance for heat pump users to ensure households get the full benefits.

“Installing more heat pumps is important, but ensuring they perform well is equally critical if we want lower bills and greater climate benefits,” Prof Rosenow said.

The study is published in the journal Energy and Buildings.