Why does getting a heat pump reduce your carbon footprint?

Switching from a boiler to an air source heat pump is one of the biggest things you can do to reduce your home’s carbon footprint. For UK properties, it results in an average reduction in carbon emissions of around 65%.

The government’s latest official carbon conversion factors show that the UK electricity grid’s carbon intensity is similar to gas consumption on a grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour basis. But because heat pumps provide heating over three times more efficiently than a gas boiler, they consume far less energy to provide the same amount of heating – resulting in a smaller carbon footprint.

Air source heat pump installed outside a property, surrounded by plants.
Carbon intensity
(grams of CO2 per kWh) 
Efficiency (units of heat energy transferred per unit of energy consumed) Typical annual home heating usage (kWh)Total annual carbon footprint (kg CO2) 
Electric heat pump
(industry minimum efficiency)
2072.8 11,500799
Electric heat pump
(higher efficiency)
2073.4
(Good Energy heat pump installations have an average efficiency of 340%)
11,500658
Gas boiler2030.94 11,5002335

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How can you reduce the carbon footprint of your heating even further?

Heat pumps with a higher efficiency rating will be even lower carbon. The 2.8 efficiency rating used in the table above is the minimum level of efficiency a heat pump installation must meet by government policy standards to be eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.

Data collected over 12 months from heat pumps installed by Good Energy shows our installations reach an average efficiency of 3.4. That’s around four times more efficient than a gas boiler with an efficiency of 90%.

If you have solar panels, some of the electricity needed to power your heat pump can come from your own panels, rather than the national grid. Finally, switching to a genuinely renewable supplier like Good Energy will make sure the electricity required to power your heat pump will be matched will be matched with 100% renewable electricity from British generators.

How do we make sure Good Energy heat pumps are efficient?

Whole home approach to design

Our in-house experts conduct a detailed survey and design a bespoke system to ensure your heat pump heats your whole home to a comfortable temperature. This may include changing the placement or size of radiators to make sure each room is heated efficiently.

We take this approach with all properties, whether it is a new or custom build or retrofitting an older or period home.

Remote monitoring

Your heat pump’s smart design means we can remotely check if it is working as efficiently as expected – without you having to call out an engineer.

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More good reasons to choose
a Good Energy heat pump

End-to-end service
From your estimation and survey through to installation and applying for the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, we take care of the whole process.

Long-term reliability
We offer 10-year warranties and a remote monitoring service – allowing us to check your heat pump’s performance without you needing an engineer to visit.

Greener and simpler than gas or oil
You’ve already read about how much carbon you can save compared to heating your home directly with fossil fuels. If you’re off-grid, upgrading to a heat pump means you’ll no longer have the hassle of keeping an oil or LPG tank topped up.

Installed by green energy experts
We’ve been helping homes and businesses across Britain use and generate renewable energy for nearly 25 years. We know that getting a heat pump is a meaningful way to reduce your contribution to climate change.

Choose heating that doesn’t cost the earth

If you want to reduce your impact on our planet, find out more about upgrading to an air source heat pump.