FAQs
Considering a heat pump for your home? Heat pumps offer a versatile and energy-efficient way to stay comfortable year-round. But with so many options and considerations, it's natural to have questions. This FAQ section is designed to be your one-stop shop for all things heat pump related. Don't forget to also check out our Tips & Tutorials or Troubleshooting pages for more information. Don't see your question answered here? Feel free to contact our team of experts!
Yes, heat pumps are very efficient at heating your home. they can provide three to four times more heat energy than the electricity they consume. Traditional heating systems, like oil or gas boilers, convert fuel into heat. This conversion process is never perfect, and some energy is lost as waste heat making them less efficient.
Because heat pumps absorb energy from the air or ground, they can deliver significantly more usable heat than the electricity energy they consume. The efficiency of a heat pump is measured by a Coefficient of Performance (CoP). A CoP of 4.0 means a heat pump delivers 4 units of heat for every 1 unit of electricity it uses. That’s 3 units from your source energy, normally the air or ground.
No machine can be truly more than 100% efficient according to the laws of thermodynamics. However, if a heat pump delivers a CoP of 4.0 this is often referred to as being 400% efficient.
The terminology might seem counter intuitive, but the reason is you are only using one unit of electrical energy to move the source energy into your home (3 units) and produce a total of 4 units of heat energy for your heating or hot water.
Yes, heat pumps work perfectly well with radiators, provided everything is designed correctly. The key to designing a heat pump system is to ensure that the distribution system, be it radiators or underfloor heating or combination of both, can operate at the lower flow temperatures produced by a heat pump.
Underfloor heating systems cover a large area, which means they can afford a low flow temperature and still deliver the heat required by your home. So, when it comes to radiators, we just need to make sure they are sized correctly to enable the heat pump to operate at a lower, more efficient flow temperature than a traditional boiler.
As part of our MCS service, we carry out detailed design calculations which include a radiator schedule for rooms that are heated by radiators.
A zero rate applies to the installation of certain specified energy-saving materials, including heat pumps, from 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2027. This means the supply and installation service is exempt from VAT.
Here's some important points:
The relief applies to installing energy saving materials in residential accommodation and charitable buildings.
This zero-rated VAT applies only if you hire a contractor to both supply and install the heat pump.
If you buy the heat pump yourself and then hire someone separately for installation, the materials (heat pump) will likely have standard VAT applied, while the installation labour itself might be zero-rated.
It is common for other goods and services to be provided at the same time as the installation of energy saving materials, these can also be zero rated as long as they constitute a single supply and are ancillary to the energy saving material. This could include upgrading radiators or installing underfloor heating.
A zero rate also applies to the groundworks necessary for the installation of ground and water source heat pumps within the curtilage of residential or charitable buildings.
For clear and official information, you can refer to the UK government's VAT Notice 708/6 on Energy-saving materials and heating equipment:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-on-energy-saving-materials-and-heating-equipment-notice-7086
Heat pumps require maintenance like any other mechanical equipment. We recommend that your system is checked by us each year to make sure that it’s still running as efficiently as it should.
For more details on what is involved, please visit our aftercare page
Yes! Solaris will ensure that the system that we design for you is sized to meet the entire heat loss of your house and to deliver all the heating and hot water that you require. We can also provide cooling via chilled water for when the seasons change.
The heat pump itself will work perfectly well, even in the middle of winter when it’s well below freezing outside. Nordic countries Sweden, Norway and Finland have the coldest climates in Europe and in all three countries more that 40% of households have a heat pump, more than any other country in the world.
