We’re accelerating into smarter technology at a rate that can leave us feeling dizzy – fridges can now let you know when you need more butter, heating controls can adapt to the temperature outside and bins can inform you of precisely what your rubbish is made up of.
At the same time, our issues with air pollution, rising global temperatures and scary levels of microplastics in the sea leave us feeling, frankly, terrified.
When the former takes on the latter, we’re into it.
Which is why we want to introduce you to air source heat pumps. An amazing piece of technology emerging as a cleaner way to heat homes, they could help us on our mission to live in places that churn through less carbon.
How do they work? Essentially, they contain a liquid which absorbs heat from the air outside your house. The liquid is compressed by the pump to warm it up, before the heat generated is sent to your heating system, as well as to your hot water tank.
Similar in size to an air conditioning unit, it’s basically the same mechanism as your fridge or freezer, but in reverse. These extract heat from inside the fridge and release it outside – which is why the back of your fridge is hot – to keep the inside cool, whereas air source heat pumps extract heat from outside your home and bring it inside, where it is distributed through your radiators or stored in your hot water cylinder, if you have one in your home.
Again, like fridges, air source heat pumps use electricity, and are a cleaner alternative to the likes of oil or liquid petroleum gas (LPG) boilers.
It’s not just one for warmer climates – heat can be extracted even when the temperature is as low as -15° C, so there’s no stress about potentially being hot water-free come Christmas, according the Energy Saving Trust.
A report from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in March 2018, entitled ‘A Future Framework for Heat in Buildings,’ detailed how a shift to heat pumps for homes that currently use oil or LPG for heat could be an integral part of the solution for homes that are off the gas network.
Context: at the moment, there’s around 1.1 million oil-heated households across Great Britain. With these homes also likely to be bigger, older, detached properties in rural areas, they’re also more likely to go through more energy for heating.
If your house falls into that bracket, then E.ON’s air source heat pumps may be a great idea. As well as the more sustainable energy you’ll generate, it also means no more fuel delivery trucks or tanks taking up space outside your home.
So, money. To install a pump, the average cost is around £11,000 for a four bedroom detached home*. But, because of the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive, to encourage lower carbon heating solutions, you could make up to £1,273 per year for seven years,** as you could be paid for every unit of renewable energy that your pump creates.
Plus, it’s not just savings via the scheme that come into play. David Newitt at E.ON UK said: “Air source heat pumps are an ideal solution for homeowners in more rural areas or who are off the gas grid and rely on oil or LPG.”
“According to the Energy Savings Trust, homeowners who currently heat their homes with an old G-rated oil boiler could potentially save up to £545 a year on their annual fuel bills by installing an air source heat pump. Those who have an old G-rated LPG boiler could save up to £1,350.”***
If you’re up for learning more, an expert from E.ON will come over for a free home survey. If you’re happy with the quote then you can have your installation booked in. The process itself will take about two days. It’s a good shout to have an annual check (like how you would with a boiler) to make sure that everything is running properly.
Time to get heat from the air? Head here for all the details.
Discover more about how E.ON could help you live a more energy efficient and sustainable lifestyle, here.
*The cost is based on supply and installation of an air source heat pump in a four bed detached