Are heat pumps as good as they are made out to be?

THE review of heat pumps in the Hereford Times (October 31), although informative, omitted many factors worthy of consideration.

The quoted figures make it sound as if the costs are negligible taking into account the available grants. They do not highlight the potential additional costs where existing plumbing and radiators have to be replaced to a different specification.

This could involve ripping out underfloor heating with the attendant mess and disruption. To heat water you will need a pump with a compatible cylinder.

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In Herefordshire, many areas will require ground, rather than air source pumps, because of the potential extremes of temperature. This means having sufficient land. These cabinets resemble abandoned washing machines and, placed close to a wall, will inevitably become weather-degraded and attract mould, moss and rust.

The assertion that a gas boiler ‘typically needs replacing after 10 years’ is open to challenge. Our highly efficient oil-fired boiler was installed 20 years ago. I reckon that it would cost £15,000 to dig out our internal pipework and change the radiators.

Financially, it doesn’t make sense for an elderly couple. In our case, assuming that the heat pump cost zero, it would take 37.5 years to recoup the outlay in reduced electricity bills, by which time I would be 115 years’ old. In the meantime we will have lost an income of some £750 per year as a result of spending capital.

What are your thoughts?

You can send a letter to the editor to have your say by clicking here.

Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence.

Just as solar panels and pumped cavity wall and loft installation resulted in many cowboy jobs, done by ‘fly-by-night’ operators, I suspect that there will be a similar outcome regarding heat pumps.

From 2025 the government is mandating heat pump installation on new builds. At present there are no plans to force existing homeowners into following suit. I don’t want to deter people from doing the right thing from an environmental perspective, but there is a lot more to consider.

COLIN BOYLETT

Kingswood