Heat pumps are the climate friendly alternative to a gas boiler for heating your home, using electricity instead of gas as the energy source. They are typically about three times more efficient than the most efficient gas boilers or electric heaters. This means heat pumps are helping to tackle climate change as they reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, producing much lower greenhouse gas emissions. Find out more about how they work on the Energy Saving Trust website.

Did you know over a quarter of carbon emissions in Bristol come from using gas boilers to heat homes and hot water?

Heat pumps will become one of the main ways we reduce the use of gas in our homes in the coming decade. They are already mainstream in some European countries, like France and the Netherlands.

Like a gas boiler, a heat pump circulates hot water to radiators to heat your home. They provide a more consistent and comfortable heat.

Things to consider before installing a heat pump

• Firstly, it’s important that your home has a good level of insulation, otherwise you may find your heat pump costs more to run than you expect.
• Then you need to think about where you could fit a heat pump unit outside and where a hot water tank could go inside. You may also need to change some radiators.
• Finally, heat pumps are more expensive to install than gas boilers but there are currently government grants available to help with this cost.

Watch this short film about Roy who installed a heat pump at his home in Bristol.

Grants

The UK Government has launched the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which is offering grants of £7,500 to install an air-source heat pump and £7,500 to install a ground-source heat pump. The grants will be available until March 2025.