If you’re looking to live more sustainably or reduce your carbon footprint, you could consider updating your home heating system, with heating and hot water accounting for around 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions.
How to future-proof your home heating
There’s lots in the news about home heating and energy efficiency, with the government setting net zero targets for 2050. We understand that this can be a confusing topic; how can you reduce your carbon footprint? What’s the right home heating choice? We’re here to help.
We want to help you to find the best technology for you, make an informed decision, and have an energy efficient, comfortable home.
One topic that often comes up is whether gas boilers will be banned soon. The answer is no, if you install one now, you’ll be able to use it until the end of its life and won’t be asked to remove it whilst it’s still working. However, new build properties will be required to have a heat pump installed from 2025.
Find out more about the different technologies available below.
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are a low carbon, eco-friendly source of heat. Taking energy from air outside and converting it into heat, which is used for your home and hot water.
However, Heat Pumps may not be suitable for all property types. When this is the case, Hybrid heat pumps can be an alternative green solution.
Hybrid Systems
A hybrid system combines a combi boiler with an outdoor heat pump – they work together to heat your home and hot water.
Hybrid systems can be fitted with limited remedial works to the existing property’s fabric, piping and radiators. A hybrid allows you to improve the fabric of your property over a longer period whilst delivering carbon savings immediately.
In a typical household, over 50% of the fuel bills are spent on heating and hot water. We’re here to help you make the best green heating choice for your property, budget and lifestyle.
Source: Energy Saving Trust
Heat Pumps
An air source heat pump uses the energy in the air to provide heat and hot water to your home. It uses electricity to run the components of a heat pump, and are an extremely efficient, lower carbon home heating solution.
Hybrid Systems
Like a hybrid car, a hybrid home heating system uses more than one energy source, teaming up to generate heat as a lower carbon alternative for home heating. These are usually a gas or oil boiler and an air to water heat pump.
Oil boilers
If you already have an oil boiler, there are still steps you can take to decarbonise your home heating. Hydrogenated-vegetable oil (or HVO) is a new fuel being used to replace kerosene, providing a cheaper and greener fuel for oil boiler customers. With conversion kits launching, oil boiler customers can go greener more easily.
Hydrogen boilers
A hydrogen-ready boiler is a gas-fired heating boiler which could burn either natural gas or 100% hydrogen. These are not available yet, but are being trialed for the future.
Talking greener heating
We teamed up with TV’s Angellica Bell to explore greener home heating options in a bit more detail.
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