Advice
Should you get a heat pump in a Bristol terrace? Usually not yet
A heat pump is a genuinely good bit of kit in the right house. A lot of Bristol housing stock is not yet the right house, and the grant does not change that.
Why the house matters more than the pump
A gas boiler pushes water round your radiators at around seventy degrees. A heat pump runs at forty five to fifty. Cooler water means each radiator gives out less heat, so to warm the same room you need considerably more radiator surface. In a lot of terraces that means most of the radiators come off and bigger ones go on.
The three questions we ask before anything else
- Is the loft insulated to current depth, and are the walls solid or cavity? A solid wall terrace with 100mm of loft insulation will run a heat pump hard and expensively.
- Is there somewhere sensible outside for the unit, with clearance, that is not directly under a bedroom window or your neighbour's?
- Is there room for a hot water cylinder? A heat pump cannot do instant hot water the way a combi does. That airing cupboard you got back is going to be needed again.
When we say yes
Post 1990 build, decent insulation, room outside, space for a cylinder, and an owner who plans to stay long enough to see it pay back. In that house it is a good decision and the grant makes it a straightforward one.
When we say not yet
Uninsulated solid wall terrace, small yard, no cylinder space. We will tell you to spend the money on insulation first and ring us again in a few years. That is a smaller invoice for us and the right answer for you.