Air source heat pumps: Cutting costs and improving health

Air source heat pumps (ASHP) are paving the way to a more sustainable future. They not only help homes and businesses manage their energy bills but can significantly contribute toward improved health and comfort.

Air Source Heat Pump’s ability to cut the costs of energy bills can also help improve both physical and mental well-being as it can reduce anxiety around paying for bills and surviving the cost of living crisis. Adding on to this, the fact that air source heat pumps use renewable energy rather than fossil fuels can help people and businesses reduce their carbon footprint and improve the quality of our environment.

So let's explore how air source heat pumps can cut costs and improve health.

Cutting costs

As many of us already know, air source heat pumps can reduce the costs of your energy bills. You can typically save £1,100 on your annual bills, but you could save more if you switch from electric, coal or LPG systems.

We know that many people can be put off by the initial price of an air source heat pump, however, government grants combined with annual savings on your energy bills gained from installing a heat pump make the installation well worth it.

There are a range of government grants in place, designed to help people afford the price of installing an air source heat pump, such as:

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)

The BUS scheme provides capital grants to support the upfront cost of installing air source heat pumps and biomass boilers in homes and non-domestic buildings in England and Wales.

As of the 21st of September 2023, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero increased the BUS level for both air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps. This means that installers acting on behalf of property owners can apply for:

£7,500 off the cost and installation of an ASHP.
£7,500 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump. This also includes water source heat pumps.
£5,000 off the cost of and installation of a biomass boiler.

£450 million of grant funding will be available between 2022 and 2025.

For those that applied for grant funding before the 23rd of October 2023 will not receive the increased grant. The grant levels for these applications are:

£5,000 off the cost of installing an air source heat pump.
£6,000 off the cost of installing a ground source heat pump. This includes water source heat pumps.
£5,000 off the cost of installing a biomass boiler.

Warmer Homes Scotland

The Warmer Homes Scotland programme helps those struggling to heat their homes by making suggestions that help them enhance their heating. Improvements could include things like:

Insulation improvements.
Wall insulation.
Loft insulation.
Draught-proofing.
Central heating like new gas boilers and air source heat pumps.
Renewables.

Eligibility requirements:

Be a homeowner or tenant of a private-sector landlord.
Your home must be your main residence.
Have lived there for at least six months (unless in receipt of an SR1, a DS1500 or a BASRiS form)
Live in a home with a poor energy rating (this will be assessed by Warmworks)
Live in a home that has a floor area of 230m2 or less.
Live in a home that meets the tolerable living standard set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 or where the home doesn’t meet the tolerable living standard. This won’t impact the effectiveness of the improvements recommended for your home.
Live in a home where the council tax band is A-F.
Eligible households must include either a person who is over 75 with no central heating, a person who is in receipt of a DS1500 or BASRiS certificate completed by a medical professional or, a person in receipt of at least one of the passport benefits, at any level or rate at which the benefit is paid.

Home Energy Scotland Loan

This provides funding for energy efficiency improvements, where households can gain a loan of up to £7,500 or £9,000 for those eligible for the rural uplift. This can be applied to air source heat pumps.

Eligibility criteria:

Homeowners living in their main residence.
Those building their own home can use the loan for home renewable systems or energy storage systems.

Nest Scheme Wales

The Nest scheme provides free impartial advice as well as a pack of free home energy improvements (if eligible) such as:

A new boiler.
Central heating.
Insulation.
Solar panels.
Heat pumps.

This scheme will end in March 2024, but will be replaced with a new scheme as of April 1st 2024. This will focus more on low carbon technologies for homes to help Wales meet their net zero aims by 2050.

Individual assessments will be completed for each home to understand what the best energy efficient solution is.

Discover more about available government grants available.

Improving health

Air source heat pumps can help to significantly improve individuals' health. They can do this by:

Reducing humidity and dampness

Air source heat pumps can better manage the temperature of a home or building, reducing dampness. Damp can have major negative impacts on people’s health that can lead to things like respiratory problems, allergies and asthma.

By ensuring rooms are at the right temperature and have little to no dampness the health of inhabitants should improve.

Improved air quality

Due to air source heat pumps using renewable energy rather than fossil fuels, they can contribute toward better air quality in local environments. ASHPs also have advanced filtration features that filter out pollutants and allergens, helping to create a more comfortable environment for home and business owners.

This can also help people living with respiratory conditions, allergies or asthma, as it’ll create more comfortable environments by reducing irritants.

Decreased financial strain

A survey of 3,000 adults aged 18 and over conducted by Opinium found that 29% of adults experienced stress, 34% experienced anxiety and 10% experienced hopelessness as a result of financial worries. This highlights that financial stress can have significant impacts on mental and physical health.

Implementing air source heat pumps can help combat financial stress as they help users save significant money on their energy bills, helping to relieve some of their worries around money.

Looking to save money on your energy bills and improve both your health and the environment? Get in touch with us today to see how installing an air source heat pump could work for you!