Top reasons to swap your oil boiler for a heat pump
There are more than 1.5 million off-grid properties in the UK that are heated with oil boilers. If your oil heating is becoming unreliable or you want to replace it with something greener, here are some of the main reasons to upgrade to a heat pump.
Oil boilers generate more carbon emissions than almost any other type of home heating
Heating an average home using heating oil results in carbon emissions of 5,200kg a year. That’s more than two return flights from London to New York. On top of the carbon emissions from the boiler itself, heating oil comes with the added environmental impact of getting oil delivered by truck.
In comparison, a heat pump works by drawing in renewable heat energy from the air outside. A heat pump running on grid electricity generates just 850kg of carbon emissions a year. This carbon footprint can be reduced further by generating electricity using solar panels, or switching to a green energy tariff that matches the power used by the heat pump with electricity from renewable sources.
Oil boilers are being banned within the next two decades
As part of commitments to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the government is phasing out gas and oil boilers. While the ban on new gas and oil boiler installations has been pushed back to 2035, if you need to replace your existing system it’s worth investing in one that’s fit for the future.
What’s more, upgrading to a heat pump sooner rather than later means you apply a £7,500 government grant from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. There is only a set amount of government funding being made available for this grant, with no news yet about future schemes that could replace it.
Oil could leave you with a big cleanup bill
Oil tank owners are legally responsible for making sure their system doesn’t contaminate the surrounding environment. Failing to prevent an oil leak could lead to a hefty fine or even prosecution – as well as a cleanup bill that could stretch to tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of pounds.
Most homeowners with oil tanks have to take out specific oil spill insurance to protect them. If you have a heat pump, you should make your home insurer aware, but you don’t need a specific policy to cover it.
Oil prices are volatile
The price of oil can change dramatically over small periods of time, and is frequently influenced by political events around the world. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the worsening of the energy crisis, homeowners faced bills of over £800 for 500-litre delivering of heating oil – up from £250 just a few months earlier.
While electricity prices are also affected by changes in the global energy market, rates do not change as frequently. Reliable energy suppliers with sustainable energy trading practices are able to tell customers at least a month in advance of price rises and indicate the impact on their energy bills. This provides customers with more certainty about their energy costs.
Oil heating can leave your home cold throughout the day
Oil-heated households are often very mindful about how often they put on their heating – likely because they really understand the cost of physically topping it up. This can lead to people scheduling short blasts of heat morning and night, and otherwise leaving their homes to get cold throughout the day – which can be unpleasant and uncomfortable if you spend lots of time at home.
Air source heat pumps run at their most efficient when they maintain a constant ambient temperature of 19-21 degrees throughout the day, and a couple of degrees cooler overnight. This means that for the same price, or cheaper, than what you would spend on heating oil – your home could be warm and comfortable all day long.
Have a look at our cost comparison chart below to see the impact switching to a heat pump might have on your monthly energy bills.
Heat pumps are generally cheaper to run than an oil boiler
Our green heating experts design our heat pump systems to work as efficiently as possible. This means they use less electricity and keep your running costs lower.
Good Energy heat pumps reach an average efficiency of 340%. This means that for every unit of electricity they use, they produce 3.4 units of heat energy for your home. The modern boiler is only around 80-90% efficient, which means that some of the energy it uses is wasted before it reaches your radiators.
Read about how to keep your heat pump working as efficiently as possible.
A heat pump is less hassle than an oil boiler
Rather than having to pay attention to the levels of your oil tank and schedule top ups (especially during periods when oil prices are changing by the day), a heat pump provides heat as and when you need it.
The high efficiency of a heat pump means it’s simple to keep your home at a constantly comfortable level. You simply set up a heating schedule and leave it to heat your home exactly how you like it.
A heat pump is suitable for all sorts of homes
Replacing an oil boiler with a heat pump is likely to be less onerous than you think. For a start, they are designed to work with wet central heating systems, so your home is unlikely to need a complete refit. As part of our installation service, we offer detailed remote or in-person surveys that assess whether your heating needs any changes to make it compatible with a heat pump. This includes measuring where heat is lost and recommending changes to the placement, size or number of radiators to make your home more comfortable.
Read more about what happens during our heat pump surveys >
If you think that your home is too old or complex for a heat pump, the results of a survey may surprise you. Having a green, comfortable home isn’t just for new build properties. So if you want to explore what’s possible for your home, contact us for a heat pump estimate and bespoke heating system design.
