Gas Boiler or Heat Pump?

Similar topic here:
https://www.property118.com/epc-improvements-true-or-false/

EPCs are primarily based on cost of energy. A modern gas boiler is very efficient and gas is roughly a quarter of the price of electricity per kWh. As it is unlikely that the efficiency of the heat pump will be consistently four times that of the existing boiler there would be a marginal increase in heating bills for the occupier and the reduction in the EPC would seem to reflect this.

A warning not to rush into changes and of listening to the spin of ill informed politicians selling net zero dreams.

Yes. We have a flat EPC D. Again – we ran through numerous scenarios. The only way of moving from D to C was external insulation (not allowed as in conservation area) or installing gas. (The flat was fully electric!

Is part of the problem that EPCs assume everyone is on the price cap tariff for gas and electric when in reality people who are likely to engage with heat pumps are far more likely to be on a time of use electric tariff?
For example anyone with solar panels and a battery are likely to be on something like Octopus Flux which significantly lowers the average unit price.
Anyone with an EV is likely to be on an EV tariff with very cheap night time electric which lowers the average unit price hugely.
Agile Octopus can work out very cheap.
There are several tariffs specifically for heat pump owners at around 15p per kWh for various chunks of time.

They never seem to mention the servicing and repair issues on heat pumps. A council estate’s tenants are waiting weeks for parts when theirs break down.

Reply to the comment left by Jo Westlake at 24/10/2024 – 11:07
You raise good points. Also the occupancy and lifestyle aren’t taken account of. Heat pumps lend themselves to those who heat their homes over the day and throughout the house. In my own home (large and under occupied) I rarely put the CH on, when I do it is for fairly short periods and have a wood burner for use in the evenings.

Heat pumps are the opposite of the ‘on demand’ principle of a gas boiler. They have lower circulating temperatures and generally rely on running over longer periods to get the fabric of the property up to a reasonable temperature and then maintains it – which then allows the flexibility to cut off over peak periods such as after dark in deep winter. Ideal for a WFH family type household but for others I can see the need to have the system running for longer than a gas CH would – thus negating some or all of the savings if the heat pump is having to switch on at lunchtime in an empty house to get it warm for tea time.

And never underestimate the damage Miliband can do with GB Energy – peak demand is after dark in winter (solar in the UK had no synergy with heating demand) and cold snaps are times of high pressure with reduced wind generation. We don’t have the storage capacity or enough future nuclear capacity to ensure a stable grid by 2030 as far as I can see with both heating and transport being pushed to electricity along with the new growth industry of power hungry data centres.

Reply to the comment left by Paul Essex at 24/10/2024 – 11:38
It doesn’t matter that heat pumps are prone to failure or that reaching EPC Rating C is ridiculously expensive and will drive up rents. The plan is to have sufficient electricity to power 1.5 million new homes without building new nuclear power plants.

According to my gas fitter heat pumps only a sensible option in super well insulated homes certainly not my internaly insulated four level victorian semi with gas wall heaters. The cost of replacing my two old Brittony2T water heaters with new gas multipoints only makes sense when the Brittony have reached the age when they need major parts replacement.

Would you be wiling to share your EPC to help the debate?

Reply to the comment left by Paul Essex at 24/10/2024 – 11:38
Which council tentents?