On 6 November, we had a fascinating talk on Heat Pumps by Bean Beanland of the Heat Pump Federation. Bean described how heat pumps are 3-4 times as efficient as gas for heating, because they take warmth from the world around and ‘concentrate’ it to warm our homes. They work on electricity, which is increasingly provided by renewables, rather than fossil fuels, which means their carbon footprint is reducing even further every year.

He told us that if your boiler is running at 55 degrees output (the most efficient temperature for a condensing boiler), then a heat pump will be able to replace that boiler and keep you equally warm. They can cope with even higher temperatures, when needed.  He also advised it makes sense to tackle each change at the right time – replace the boiler when it needs it; put insulation in when you’re redecorating.

See the full presentation  here.

Bean followed the talk up with practical advice, and links to further info, for those contemplating heat pump installation.

And – you can watch Bean and his friend exploring everything to do with heat pumps, on the Happy Heat Pump podcast.  Try these as a starter : Viewer’s Questions or How to Use a Heat Pump