Heat wars – a new hope

In the UK at least, the winter of 2022/23 was a bitter one, and not because it broke any cold-weather records.

The double whammy of a cost of living crisis – worsened by escalating inflation rates – and an energy crisis – precipitated by Russia’s war on Ukraine – proved a hard one to bear. Now, as the nights grow longer and the weather warmer, the pressure has somewhat alleviated. However, recent events have forced many to consider more cost-effective ways to heat the home – and for early adopters, heat pumps have already proved to be an economic solution.

Heat pumps use warmth that naturally resides in the ground and air to generate heat for the home, and they do so in a more sustainable and more efficient way than a gas or oil boiler.

An often unmentioned by-product of heat pump technology is that it can be used to cool a property during high summer, by producing cold air via fan convectors and Chilled water rather than heated water 

Now is as good a time as any to convert to heat pumps, not least because in March 2022, Rishi Sunak (then Chancellor of the Exchequer) declared a five-year zero VAT rating on heat pumps and their installation. And because the government has set a target for 600,000 heat pump installations per year, it’s incentivising the procedure by handing out £5,000 grants for Air Source Heat Pumps and £6,000 for ground source heat pumps. 

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that without the services of an expert installer, your dreams of enjoying a warmer home can easily be ruined. The design process is a critical part of the installation process and Actually, the cost of rectifying a badly designed installation can be very expensive indeed.

Here at Solaris Energy, we’re heat pump experts who fully understand how the technology works, which can’t be said of all boiler installers and repairers. As well as being accredited and affiliated with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), a nationally recognised assurance scheme which is supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, a department of the UK government, we proudly sit on the advisory board.

If you’d like to know more about heat pumps and how they can benefit both your home and your bank balance, please get in touch with us today.