How to reduce your energy bills with air source heat pumps

Heat pumps can help you save money on your energy bills, while being a great sustainable alternative to any heating options that use fossil fuels, such as gas or oil boilers. 

While heat pumps can have a costly upfront price they can help you save money on your monthly energy bills in the long run. 

This blog will explore the ways you can save money on your energy bills through installing an air source heat pump. 

What are heat pumps and are they as efficient as boilers?

Heat pumps are a sustainable heating alternative that uses natural resources like air or water to heat a room or building. This blog primarily focuses on air source heat pumps which take the air from outside and transfer it into an energy that can produce heat. 

One of the main reasons air source heat pumps can help you save money on your energy bills is because they’re more efficient than traditional gas boilers. When it comes to air source heat pumps they’re 400% more efficient compared to traditional gas boilers that are 90% efficient. This means that for every 1kWh taken in by the heat pump, 4kWh are produced. 

As a result of this they help you save money on your energy bills as they waste significantly less energy than boilers. Furthermore, the fact that air source heat pumps are sustainable means that they’re using a free resource as it’s already readily available, therefore it helps you save money. 

Heat pump grants

For domestic applications, installing a heat pump can cost between £8,000 and £15,000 depending on your project requirements. However, government grants can help you almost cover the whole cost of the installation. 

The government grants available include:

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme was launched in April 2022 and is a part of the government's wider Heat and Buildings Strategy. The scheme is available for those in England and Wales and can grant up to £5,000 to help with the cost of a heat pump installation. If the installation exceeds this, the homeowner will need to pay the rest. 

The Warmer Homes Scotland

The Warmer Homes Scotland scheme is provided by the Scottish government and aims to help those struggling to keep their home warm and stay on top of energy bills. To help people the scheme will install a range of energy saving improvements like:

• Wall insulation

• Loft insulation

• Draught-proofing

• Central heating

• Renewables  

The Home Energy Scotland Loan

The Home Energy Scotland Loan was launched in May 2017 and aims to help households afford the cost of installing renewable heating systems and implement energy efficient measures in homes. 

You can apply for up to £38,500 (up to £17,750 of which you may not have to pay back).  For loans above £10,000, you have up to 12 years to repay. For loans less than £10,000 the repayment term varies from five to 10 years. 

The Nest Schemes Wales

The Nest Scheme provides funding and impartial advice on energy efficiency and sustainable heating alternatives to low income households and households in deprived areas in Wales. 

You’re eligible if:

• You’re a homeowner

• You rent from a private landlord 

• Your home is expensive to heat and energy inefficient 

• You or someone you live with receives a means tested benefit OR has a chronic respiratory, circulatory or mental health condition and an income below defined thresholds. (Energy Saving Trust). 

To learn more about how you can maximise on the government grants read our blog.

How much can you save?

With the current cost of living crisis well underway and the rising costs of gas and electricity, almost everybody is looking for ways to reduce their energy bills. One way of doing this is through fitting a heat pump, however the amount of money you’ll save depends on various factors like:

• The electricity tariff you’re on

• The type of heat pump you install - air source, ground source or water source heat pumps

• The design of your central heating system

• Your location and the average temperature of the air or ground

The money you save on your energy bills can also depend on the heating system you’re replacing. For example if you’re replacing an old boiler (G-rated) you could save up to £590 a year. If you replace a modern A-rated boiler you could save £115 a year. 

The importance of proper installation

Installing a heat pump properly has huge impacts on the way your heat pump functions. For example, fitting one poorly could cause functional problems and lead to an increase in energy being used due to it not operating as efficiently as desired. 

Adding on to this, heat pump owner, Paul Brabbins suffered from inadequate heating from a faulty heat pump installation last year. Paul felt the effects in the colder months the most, however once the problem was found and fixed he had no problems. This highlights the need for highly qualified and trained heat pump installers. 

Here at Enula our installers are MCS accredited, meaning they all meet the standards set by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).   
To discover how a heat pump could work for you, get in touch with Enula today!