I don’t regret my heat pump, Says Eco Loon
By Paul Homewood
Shame on The Telegraph for falling for this piece of propaganda hook, line and sinker:
Heat pumps have copped some bad press recently, and it’s time to redress the balance.
I installed one in early 2022, and I love it. It is quiet, economical to run and keeps the house toasty. In my experience, there is nothing not to like.
It’s true that getting one installed does present some hurdles. The technology is still unfamiliar in Britain – where annual sales trail far behind those in Italy or Poland – and there aren’t yet enough qualified installers.
But make no mistake; heat pumps are here to stay. The Government has finally admitted that hydrogen will play no significant part in home heating, having scrapped two proposed hydrogen pilot projects, and it is preparing to ban “hydrogen ready” gas boilers in new-build properties from 2025.
That makes heat pumps the default technology for a lower carbon future, and if Labour wins power at the next election it plans to continue the heat pump roll
So everyone will need to get their heads around heat pumps soon enough. But if you’re thinking of having one installed right now, you’ll need to do a bit more research than you would to simply replace a combi boiler.
I had the advantage that I write about clean energy policy for a living and could tap professional contacts for advice. But it’s not that hard, I have no regrets and here are 12 things I’ve learned.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/net-zero/why-get-heat-pump/
As many commenters pointed out, the fact that Strahan writes about clean energy policy for a living rather destroys any credibility this article might have had.
But when you look at his specific claims, even he unwittingly destroys the case for heat pumps.
- His system for a terrace house cost £11000, plus another £7000 to insulate two walls and the roof. (In Strahan’s world, govt subsidies mean that heta pumps are free).
- He reckons his energy bills are £150 pa more than OFGEM’s price cap for a typical household. Given that he lives in a terrace house, he is probably paying about £500 more than a typical terrace.
- To save money and emissions, he only heats the kitchen, lounge and bathroom
- There is no mention of what he does for hot water, which his heat pump cannot supply.
- Installation was an absolute pain.
- Because his heat pump cannot heat his house up quickly, he has to keep the heat pump running for 18 hours a day.
Quite why the Telegraph agreed to print this rubbish is beyond me. But their readers certainly have not fallen for it!
Comments are closed.
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
I cannot read the article because of the paywall :
Does he say anything about the ease with which the unit can be stolen and any preventative measures thus taken? I understand that because it is outside the house it is not covered by a standard house insurance.
Does he explain how someone who is elderly and/or infirm can wipe any falling snow off the unit which I understand needs to be done for the heat pump to continue to function ?
switch off java script and you can
+1 Thanks
You can bypass the paywall by disabling javascript.
I do this on Chrome, which I never use otherwise
There are “Add-ons” available for Firefox & Palemoon browsers which allow JavaScript to be easily toggled on or off.
Thanks, Paul.
It was your suggestion to use Chrome which made it easy enough for even me to be able to disable Javascript.
Heat pumps, at best convert high cost electricity to low grade heat. Not hot enough for a bath. They need a clear air path through their coil hence snow and ice are a problem. Also be prepared for expensive maintenance costs down the line. Just forget them unless you are mega rich so you can virtue signal, also have a well insulated house.
https://web.archive.org/web/20240114110241/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/net-zero/why-get-heat-pump/
In a terrace house I suspect that the heat pump has been installed at the rear so more difficult to steal.
Last paragraph of the article, confirms he is an eco loon. Telegraph slowly becomes the guardian.
With a heat pump running on carbon-free electricity you may get another kind of warm feeling: the knowledge that you are raising the chances of leaving a survivable planet to your children.
More likely he gets a warm feeling from pissing his pants laughing when looking at his bank account.
The electricity isn’t carbon free. Any additional appliance plugged into the mains can only be powered by ramping up the gas turbine (or even coal) generation.
Until we get to the situation where there is spare renewable capacity to bring on line, heat pumps are 100% fossil fuel powered.
In terms of CO2 emissions, the COP of the heat pump more or less compensates for the inefficiency of the gas generation of the electricity to run it, so the change to heat pump is roughly equal in CO2 emissions to a gas boiler.
So all that expense for roughly zero reduction in emissions.
GeoffB: You are absolutely correct. Editorially the DT is all over the place. I’m on the point of cancelling.
I was one of the 84% who said he wouldn’t insall a heat pump. Most of the commenters thought the article was a load of propaganda and rubbish.
Had he lived in Derby he could have had professional advice from my son, chartered services engineer and gas certified plumber, and realised the folly of his plan in time to opt for a nice new Baxi combi boiler.
Up to recently we have had a pretty mild winter. How well will the heat pump cope when it actually gets cold?
Heat pumps do work provided you’re heating a well insulated place with a correctly sized heat pump that’s properly installed. We have one (in Quebec Canada) that works to -24°C. It’s true that electricity where I live is cheaper than in the UK, heat pumps are less efficient as the temperature gets colder but the technology is getting better (slowly). The cost is certainly a factor that can’t be dismissed however.
myV Quebec really is not the UK though is it? How much is your mains Gas?
No it’s not the UK. Our temperatures range from +30°C to at least -20°C.
Humidity? The prevailing dampness of the UK is what makes heat pumps struggle here.
myV : What is your CoP please for -24 degrees C to + 55 degreees C?
I’m not familiar with the term “CoP. We have 5 ton modular unit that heats very well to the -20’s and cools to the mid + 30 range. I’m not a scientist (like many here) nor a HVAC specialist, I’m just a user. We do have a propane gas furnace (no natural gas in my area).
5 tons?!?! Putting one of those in to many houses would require the hiring of a mobile crane and applying to have the road closed for the operation.
It doesn’t weigh 5 tons. The unit is heavy probably several hundred pounds. That term seems to refer to a size (?). I’m not a HVAC expert perhaps someone here is and could give as a definition.
Do you have any other heating in your property?
MyV do you have ground source or air source. What is the heating system, radiators, underfloor or warm air?
We have a propane gas furnace for backup. The system (heat pump)cost installed just under £3000, around $5000CAD.
We just had a new Baxi installed last summer and our Baxi is a good and trusty heater. We love it!
Heat pumps are best suited to building that use ducted-air systems, as there is then no need for the 60C needed in hot-water systems. In ducted-air systems Air Conditioning is also simple: impossible with wet systems. Unfortunately, the UK housing stock is mainly wet systems, but, fortunately AC is rarely needed! I would not have a recirculated air system and will stick with my gas fired boiler.
So the article ends in a poll .. about 100K voted
i suspect that the poll collected the browser cookies of the 16K that voted YES
and now they are being spammed to get them to sign up
He has no soul.
‘You could get a heat pump for free’
It’s not free; you are forcing others to pay for something for you.
Quite!
” even he unwittingly destroys the case for heat pumps. ”
The article does read as if it’s intended to undermine the use of heat pumps !
Article refers to the believers’ mantra: ” … for a lower carbon future,” . Which should always be countered by:
” Where is the proof that CO2 produced by humans is responsible for dangerous climate change? “
As a carbon based species, “low carbon future” sounds like a horror movie.
Micky R: The right question. There is not one scintilla of proof that CO2 is anything but a benign component of the atmosphere that we need more of. In fact , the historical evidence points to the opposite. Sadly, I find that most of the anti net zero commentators begin with conceding “that although climate change is happening the costs are too high or not yet ….” The point they should be making, unconditionally, is that its all an almighty con.
@ Vernon E. In a logical world, the lack of proof re “humans causing dangerous climate change” should be sufficient to stop the current madness. Unfortunately, madness can sometimes overwhelm logic
” Because his heat pump cannot heat his house up quickly, he has to keep the heat pump running for 18 hours a day. ”
My heating and AC system cycles on and off as a thermostat (programmable) in the core of the house (along a hallway wall) senses the temperature. Thus, the system is always ON, but it only heats or chills as the program dictates.
The humidity levels in my area (Quebec) will often reach 90% (summer) for sustained periods. As well, you have to watch the snow levels and clear away under the unit. I think the major problem for you folks, is the cost both in installation and electrical in running the unit. As well, heat pumps are expensive to fix, they last about ten years, about the same for gas furnaces (modern units) before you have a major repair. I would imagine you probably don’t need the air conditioning often in the summer (UK). These devices become pricey for something that’s useful a few months a year.
MyV. What is the humidity in the winter which is when the heat pump is used. One of the main problems in the UK is they recommend using the HP in renovated buildings is to supply warm water to radiators. My son has a Ground Source Heat Pump supplying under floor heating and it works fine. Thanks for answering all the queries.
I don’t know of a heat pump system that drives a hydronic floor system. I’m familiar with ductless “mini-splits” with a blower on the inside and pump outside or an internal duct condenser system for forced air with the main unit outside. Remember, I’m not a HVAC person so I’m not really qualified to you anything more than a “end user’s” experience. The average humidity in the winter, in my local (I looked it up) is about 71%.
As from the start of the year, German suppliers are allowed to throttle your supply because of a failure to provide a grid with enough generation output. This is due to heat pumps and battery cars increasing demand. The good old ‘smart’ meter will feature in managing demand and from 2028 ALL properties must be fitted with them. And just the same thing is coming here so the Dodgy Einstein is right, a ‘smart’ meter will save you money by turning down your power consumption whether you like it or not.