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Heating systems

Air source heat pump central heating

Installing an air source heat pump has the potential to reduce your homes heating costs by between 10% and 50% and carbon eissions by 75% compared with a gas boiler.

They work by extracting heat from the outside air and can by over 300% efficient compared with 80% for gas boilers.

An external box unit is installed outside your home and connected to a hot water cylinder inside your home which feeds your central heating and hot water pipework.  For the system to work efficiently your radiators may need to be replaced with larger ones which can keep your home warm with the lower operating temperature achieved with a heat pump system.

Heat pump central heating systems work best in homes with reasonably well insulated homes such as those with good loft insulation, double glazing and insulated cavity walls.  However they can also be installed in older solid walled homes dependent on the circumstances which can be assessed by an MCS accredited installer.  Installation costs may be offset by government grants or incentives.  Cost range between £7,500 for a 2 bed home to £12,000 for a large 4 bed home.

A list of installers can be found at mcscertified.com

For a case study of a low carbon home see under Case Studies in the top bar of this website.

Electric storage heaters

Modern electric storage heaters are better insulated, have better controls, and many of them have fans to help the distribution of heat. This means that less electricity is needed to keep the home warm.

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