Heat pumps vs standard gas boilers: The pros and cons

The debate between heat pumps vs gas boilers has been a hot topic recently. With the government pushing for green technology like heat pumps to be rolled out as much as possible. However, in practice, for the homeowners who would be buying, installing, and living with heat pumps, are they really a better option than gas boilers at present? In this guide, we’ll be looking at the pros and cons of heat pumps and gas boilers. To give you a better understanding of which is the right option for you. 

Firstly, what is a heat pump? 

Heat pumps are a fairly new form of heating technology that work by pumping heating from one place to another. There are three main types of air source heat pumps: air source, ground source, and hybrid heat pumps. They work by extracting heat from the air, ground, or water to provide central heating and hot water. Hybrid heat pumps can also use a boiler to generate extra heat when the temperature becomes especially cold. 

Air source heat pumps are the most common type as they are typically easier to install and maintain in comparison to ground pumps as well as being more efficient. They use electricity to operate and essentially work the same way as an air conditioning unit but in reverse. The air to water device extracts warmth from the exterior air and subsequently heats the water in your home’s central heating system. If you have an air-to-air heat pump it works in a fairly similar way. It will take heat from the outside air but that will then be fed straight into your home using fans. 

What is a gas boiler? 

You might already be familiar with a gas boiler, but for the purposes of comparing the two heating systems, it’s worth including a quick run through. Gas boilers rely on natural gas to create heat. So, gas is piped into your home, then it is ignited and the flame it generates is then used to heat water which goes through the boiler. Due to a gas boiler relying on the finite resource of gas, it can’t be fully renewable, which is why they are now being compared to heat pumps.

Comparing the pros and cons of heat pumps and gas boilers 

Both heat pumps have positives and negatives that we’re going to compare below. To see which is the better heating option for homeowners. 

Purchase price and installation 

Gas boilers have been around for many years now, which means the technology has become easy and affordable to implement. You can also get gas boiler spare parts at a cheap price too in the event that your boiler needs a repair over the course of its life. These boilers are fitted in 85% of homes across the UK. So, replacing them is quick and fairly inexpensive with few additional parts being needed. 

On the other hand, heat pumps are a new and up and coming technology. Therefore, it’s not as widely accessible, which in turn means the cost for homeowners is significantly more expensive. It has even been known to cost up to £15,000 to have a heat pump installed in a standard home. For many homeowners this would be out of reach already, but you also need to consider the possibility of something going wrong with the pump. 

Spare parts for heat pumps are significantly more expensive than they are for boilers. So, even after paying such a high price to purchase the pump and have it installed. You could still find yourself out of pocket. Additionally, there is less demand for heat pumps. Not as many homeowners are familiar with them and their cost is off-putting. 

As a result, there are typically fewer installers that can fit them, which would mean a longer wait time. When there is someone available to install them, they can take a while to be installed too, especially in comparison to gas boilers. The latter can take a few hours whereas air source heat pumps will be between 2 and 3 days approximately. 

In terms of upfront cost and installation, gas boilers are much easier to install and inexpensive to purchase. If you were ever stuck without heating or hot water, a gas boiler will be a faster and more effective option than a heat pump. 

Running costs 

On the surface, it might seem like heat pumps would be a lot cheaper to run than gas boilers, but this isn’t necessarily true. Right now, the cost of electricity is much higher than gas, which means a heat pump might not be cheaper to run than a standard boiler. This is especially the case if a property has poor thermal efficiency or if all the windows are open on a cool day. However, for every 1kWh of heat they provide, only 25% comes from the electricity it runs on. 

The other 75% comes from the air or ground, making them highly efficient in the right property and conditions. Although there is an additional layer of complexity to heat pumps as an energy audit would be needed before it could be installed. The audit would look at the property’s insulation, current tariffs, heat loss, and the size of the home. 

Ultimately, if a heat pump is fitted in a thermally efficient property, then it will be cheaper to run than a gas boiler. However, many properties in the UK are not completely thermally efficient and would require investment to make them so, in order to bring the running costs of a heat pump down. 

For those who do invest in a heat pump, it can take a long time to pay them off (around 15 years) and in some cases they’re never paid off. When you consider that alongside the running costs of the heat pump, you’ll be spending a substantial amount of money on it. 

Efficiency 

When looking at efficiency, we refer to how much fuel is converted into heat energy. Modern gas boilers are typically rated around 90% efficient. So, 90% of the energy can be changed into heat energy and only 10% is wasted. As you would probably expect, heat pumps are highly efficient. Air source heat pumps have an efficiency rating of roughly 300%. This means for every 1kWh of electricity the pump uses, it will generate 3 to 4 times as much heat. 

As you can see heat pumps are much more efficient than boilers. However, they do require a much greater cost in order to achieve that. In addition, heat pumps have a life expectancy of around 10 to 15 years. This is reasonably good, but a high-quality boiler can last you more than 20 years if it is properly maintained and cared for. 

Conclusion 

Overall, there are some clear benefits to heat pumps, they are a renewable source of energy which makes them environmentally friendly. Also, they are very efficient, which means homeowners will get a lot back for their money in terms of running costs. However, their substantial installation cost, the complexity of the installation. As well as the specific circumstances that would be needed for the property it’s installed in, for it to be worthwhile are significant drawbacks. For the majority of homeowners, a gas boiler is going to be the better option for at least the foreseeable future. This is at least until the technology develops further and becomes more accessible. 

Looking for boiler replacement parts for your heating system? NBS has got you covered. We’re specialist boiler spare parts suppliers that provide cost effective new and refurbished boiler parts to customers across the country. Explore our online shop to find the exact part you need for your boiler no matter the make or model. Contact us if you have any questions.