Not too long ago (15th-21st September) marked the 10th anniversary of Gas Safety Week, however heating experts are saying gas boilers could be a thing of the past in another 10 years from now.
For many years now Gas Boilers have been the most popular heating solution for the majority of homes across the UK. There have been advancements in technology, for example condensing boilers which are more efficient, however they still burn fossil fuels and therefore pollute harmful chemicals into our atmosphere. Not only that, there is the obvious risk that comes with a combustible heating system.
Alternate Heating Solutions
Heat pumps offer a safer, less polluting solution for your homes heating and hot water requirements. Over the course of the next 10 years, heat pumps will play a major part in the way you heat your home.
Save Money
First and foremost, you can save money on your heating bills by switching to heat pump technology. Installing a ground source heat pump can offer savings as high as 75% against direct electric, LPG & Oil. Installing an air source heat pump can save you as much as 60% against direct electric, LPG & Oil.
Government Incentive - Green Homes Grant (GHG)
The new Green Homes Grant, which is now open for applications, will provide customers the ability to claim vouchers worth up to £5,000 (up to £10,000 for low income households) towards the cost of green home improvements. The vouchers can be put towards a number of Primary and Secondary measures. There are a number of insulation measures in the primary measures, but also the installation of air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps are also in the Government’s primary measures.
If you are a plumbing or heating engineer with an increased number of heat pump enquires, our MCS Umbrella Scheme will be perfect for you as it means you do not have to MCS Accredited yourself, and can offer heat pumps to your clients which are in tern eligible for the Green Homes Grant.
Government Incentive - Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
Launched in 2014, the Renewable Heat Incentive was introduced to encourage the uptake of renewable heating technologies. You will get paid quarterly over 7 years for the amount of renewable heat your technology produces. This can also be tied in with the GHG, however you would get £5,000 off the total RHI to have up front in the way of the voucher.
Carbon Savings
Changing your homes heating system can have a positive effect on your carbon footprint and massively reduce the amount of your homes produces, by as much as 50%. This is better for the Environment and can help reduce the negative effect on climate change. Whilst there are other options out there, heat pumps are an established heating source across the UK, which can reduce your homes carbon emissions roughly 1 tonne per year against gas, and 3-4 tonnes per year against oil.
Ban on Gas Boilers in New Homes from 2025
From 2025, the Government will be banning the installation of fossil fuel burners in new build properties to help meet the Governments commitment to net-zero emissions in 2050. Further information on this can be found on our blog post: Government Pledges to Ban Boilers in New Homes by 2025.
Safety
Gas Safety Week was brought in due to the dangers of gas boilers, and to educate on what could happen if a gas system is not properly maintained by a gas safe registered engineer. They should be serviced annually to ensure they are running efficiently, but also to ensure they are running safely to avoid potential gas leaks, poisoning and even explosions.
Heat Pumps run using electricity and stored heat in the ground or air around them (depending on a ground source or air source system). The requirement to not combust something, and instead transfer heat from one source to another, is much more energy efficient, less polluting and safer.
Heat Pumps and…
Heat pumps can be combined with other technologies to create an even stronger environmentally friendly home. For example, solar panels can produce some of the electricity required to run your heat pump, so you can effectively create your own electricity which in turn will provide heating and hot water to your home.
Combine heat pumps with underfloor heating to improve the efficiency of the heating system even further due to lower flow temperatures.