One of the main reasons for choosing to replace a gas boiler with a heat pump is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide you release into the atmosphere. This means you need to understand just how it could make a difference to your emissions.
How do heat pumps work?
Rather than burning fossil fuels, which release substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, heat pumps take energy from outside the building and transfer it inside through a process of evaporation, compression, condensation, and expansion. The outside sources of this energy could be water, the ground (geothermal), or the air. Air source heat pumps Gloucester, which are available from renewable energy specialists such as https://gsmlimited.com/services/air-source-heat-pumps/gloucester, are the most common domestic kind, as they are cheaper and easier to install and smaller in size.
Research into heat pump efficiency
In September 2024, Stiebel Eltron UK announced the results of a new study. It found that its own brand of heat pump caused a 95% reduction in carbon emissions compared to a gas boiler over the same period. The study was conducted over a year using the company’s own monitoring software. The gas boiler produced more than 3500kgCO2e, whilst the figure for the Stiebel heat pump was 250kgCO2e. At the same time, the heat pump continued to sustain a comfortable indoor temperature. It also costs less to run than a gas boiler.
This is consistent with previous research that shows heat pumps lower carbon emissions, although the exact figure varies depending on the type of pump and your energy usage. In 2023, the government’s official statement on the potential of heat pumps put the average reduction at 70% The statement was made as part of a roadmap for increasing the use of heat pumps across the UK as part of the wider push to meet net zero targets.
The ability of a heat pump to reduce carbon emissions compared to a gas boiler is supported by scientific research. As the technology continues to develop, the efficiency is likely to improve even further.