Air source heat pumps are a way to heat your home with electricity instead of gas. With the current cost of electricity compared to gas you probably will not save much money but you will get off gas which of course is a fossil fuel. The magic of a heat pump is that for every unit of electricity you put in an additional three units of heat are extracted from the air outside your home.
Our electricity grid is becoming less and less dependent on fossil fuel as more solar panels and wind turbines are installed. You can of course elect to buy your electricity on a green tarif. Every home is different. If you have solar panels installed and maybe even a battery the economics look even better. The government is currently offering a £5K discount bringing the normal cost of installing (around £10K) down to about £5K. If your gas boiler is getting near end of life maybe it’s worth considering.
A Battenhall resident recently asking me if planning permission is needed especially if the outdoor unit is installed at the front of the house. I got the following reply back from council officers.
The permitted development rights for Air Source Heat Pumps can be found on the Planning Portal website (link below).
Planning Permission: Air source heat pump – Heat pumps – Planning Portal
I would suggest, as Duncan intimated, that your resident submits a Permitted Development Enquiry to the Council so that we can provide him with specific advice in relation to his property and his exact proposal. There is a charge for this service. Full details and how to apply can be found at the following website;
Do I need Planning Permission – Worcester City Council
I had a heat pump installed and I’d be happy to discuss my experience so far.