Real experiences from heat pump owners

Adrian from Carmarthenshire lives in a built-in-1800 stone detached house with attic insulation and double glazing

“We weren’t eco warriors. Our oil boiler had come to the end of its life and to replace it we would have had to move the tank to the middle of our driveway. There’s no gas here so we had to bite the bullet and look at other options. We had a couple of quotes for an electric boiler, but this came with an astronomical cost of electricity. We use a lot of electricity in this house – I have two children, and the tumble dryer is always going.

“The installers had to change the water tank and put pipes under the floorboards straight out to the heat pump. They replaced most of the radiators and did the job in about three days.

The house has never been so warm – it is kept at a constant temperature of 19 degrees in the day. I work from home so I can’t just turn it off in the winter. 

The technology was a big jump for us. I have an app which helps me control it.

The technology is amazing – we’ve got down to -6 degrees this winter and it was still warm in the house. The cost is the main factor, but it will get better value when they change the gas and electric unit pricing system. I would say to go for it.”

Tony from Aberystwyth: lives in a new-build home

“The primary reason for us was that our home was off the gas main and we didn’t want an oil tank in our back garden, which is small. With an oil tank you need deliveries, whereas with a heat pump somebody comes and instals it, so that was probably our primary motivation. But over time we’ve become happy with it for other reasons."

"It’s been very straightforward. Rather than putting the heating on at certain times when you want it, we tend to keep it on overnight because of cheap electricity. And the house is just always warm. You maybe tweak it slightly warmer or slightly cooler when the weather changes. My mum has a gas boiler and we’re either too hot or too cold. But for us the house is always comfortable and warm.

We were surprised by how warm the house always is. It’s been particularly useful post-COVID and lockdowns, we both work from home, so it’s really convenient that the house is always warm. It doesn’t cost us any more money to work from home.

The technology has been easy to use – I now wish I’d gone for something more complicated like Wi-Fi controls. But it’s just a normal central heating timer.

It’s future-proof and really good. The place is really warm, we pay around £140 a month and we’ve got a lovely, warm home.”

Ready to see a heat pump in action?

If you’re curious about how a heat pump feels in a real home, book a visit to see one through Nesta’s Heat Pump Visit service. You can chat with heat pump owners about their experience, and ask any questions you have - insights you won’t find online!

Heat pump owners: Become a host

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