The short version
- Efficient. In the government-funded Electrification of Heat trial, the median air source heat pump delivered 2.78 units of heat for every unit of electricity over a year.
- Help with the cost. If you own your home in England or Wales and are replacing fossil fuel heating, you may be eligible for a £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, and installation is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027.
- Safer and cleaner at home. Nothing burns, so there is no flue and no carbon monoxide from the heating. On the government’s 2026 carbon factors, a unit of heat from a typical heat pump comes with about a quarter of the emissions of one from a gas boiler.
- Honest caveat. Running costs depend on the design and the tariff. For the drawbacks, read our heat pump pros and cons.
Are heat pumps good? For many homes in England and Wales, yes. Below are ten benefits of heat pumps, each with its evidence and the condition it depends on. For how the technology works, see how an air source heat pump works.
Benefit 1: more heat from every unit of energy
The first of the advantages of air source heat pumps is efficiency. The Energy Saving Trust puts a typical new gas boiler at around 85% efficient. A heat pump moves heat that is already in the outside air, so it delivers more heat than the electricity it uses.
Some of the most detailed real-world evidence in Britain comes from the Electrification of Heat trial, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Across 428 air source heat pumps in ordinary homes with a full year of data, the median delivered 2.78 units of heat per unit of electricity, counting the circulating pumps and any back-up heaters as well as the heat pump itself. The middle half of homes ranged from 2.55 to 3.05. That is up from 2.44 in the earlier Renewable Heat Premium Payment monitoring, published in 2017, partly because the heat pumps themselves have become more efficient (the report notes the comparison is not adjusted for weather).
The figure depends on design: the same trial found heat pumps were markedly more efficient sending cooler water to the radiators. See how to run a heat pump efficiently.
Benefit 2: a £7,500 grant and 0% VAT
In England and Wales, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump. You may be eligible if you own the property and are replacing fossil fuel heating such as oil, gas, electric or LPG. Social housing and most new builds are not eligible, and hybrid systems that keep a boiler do not qualify.
- The installer applies, not you. An MCS-certified installer applies on your behalf and the grant is taken off what you pay, shown on your quote and invoice.
- No Energy Performance Certificate is required. Ofgem’s guidance says that since 28 April 2026 a valid certificate is no longer a requirement to apply.
- There is a deadline once it is issued. For an air source heat pump the voucher is valid for three months from the date it is issued, so the installation has to be finished in that time.
- 0% VAT. Installing a heat pump in a home is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027; from 1 April 2027 it is due to go back to 5%.
Depending on your quote, the grant may cover much of the installation, and for some homes all of it. What your installation costs depends on your property: the size of system it needs, whether any radiators or pipework need upgrading, and where the outdoor unit goes. A survey gives you the actual figure, so get in touch and we will arrange a free survey of your home. For the full picture on whether the grant can cover the whole cost, read can the grant cover the whole cost of a heat pump? and our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.
Benefit 3: running costs you can influence
Comparing heat pump vs gas boiler running costs needs honesty: electricity costs more per unit than gas, and efficiency has to close that gap. The worked example below uses Ofgem’s price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 (Direct Debit averages for England, Scotland and Wales: electricity 26.32p per kWh, gas 7.97p per kWh) to show the cost of one kWh of heat.
| Heating (illustration only) | Efficiency assumed | Cost per kWh of heat |
|---|---|---|
| Older gas boiler | 75% | 10.6p |
| Typical new gas boiler | 85% | 9.4p |
| Heat pump, lower-quartile trial result | 2.55 | 10.3p |
| Heat pump, median trial result | 2.78 | 9.5p |
| Heat pump, upper-quartile trial result | 3.05 | 8.6p |
Unit rate divided by efficiency; standard single-rate prices; standing charges excluded. Boiler figures from the Energy Saving Trust, heat pump figures measured in the Electrification of Heat trial. Ofgem notes there is no VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, so these prices cannot be compared directly with earlier periods. Your costs will differ.
On a standard tariff the two come out close, which matches the Energy Saving Trust’s August 2026 research: most heat pumps on a standard flat-rate tariff cost the same or more to run than an efficient gas boiler, while those on a dedicated heat pump tariff tended to have significantly better running costs. Design, settings and tariff are the levers. Our running costs guide works through the sums.
Benefit 4: steady, even warmth
Rather than short, hot bursts, a heat pump is designed to run for longer at a lower temperature; the Energy Saving Trust says keeping a steady temperature and running for longer periods can improve efficiency and reduce costs. The trial’s householder guide puts it as “slow and steady wins the race”. Radiators feel less hot to the touch, which the guide says is normal, and a cold house takes a few hours to warm rather than the half an hour a boiler typically takes.
In the Electrification of Heat trial, 85% of the 301 participants who answered all three surveys had already recommended, or were likely to recommend, a heat pump to friends or family after one heating season. They also reported that their heat pump kept their home warm, was reliable and easy to use. Bear in mind that trial participants did not pay for their installations.
Benefit 5: nothing burning in your home
The NHS says carbon monoxide can be made by fires and appliances that burn gas, wood, oil or coal, and lists gas boilers among the appliances that can produce it if they are not installed properly, are faulty or are poorly maintained. A heat pump burns nothing, so it has no flue and produces no carbon monoxide.
The Health and Safety Executive strongly advises that gas appliances, flues and pipework are serviced at least once a year by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and landlords must have a gas safety check every year on each gas appliance and flue. A heat pump is not a gas appliance, so it needs no gas safety check, though it still needs servicing, usually once a year. If you keep any gas appliance, such as a hob or a gas fire, it and the gas pipework still need checking, and the NHS advises a carbon monoxide alarm in each room with an appliance that burns gas, oil, coal or wood.
Benefit 6: lower carbon, and getting cleaner
The Energy Saving Trust says your carbon dioxide emissions will be lower with a heat pump than with other types of heating, because it uses no fossil fuel. The government’s 2026 greenhouse gas conversion factors let you put a rough number on it:
- A kWh of UK grid electricity, including losses on the network, carries about 0.144 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent. At the trial median of 2.78, each kWh of heat from a heat pump carries about 0.052 kg.
- A kWh of mains gas burned carries about 0.182 kg. Through an 85% efficient boiler, each kWh of heat carries about 0.214 kg.
So a unit of heat from the heat pump comes with roughly a quarter of the emissions. These are annual averages for company reporting that leave out things such as refrigerant leaks: an illustration, not a measurement of your home.
The gap has been widening as the grid gets cleaner. The government’s factor for a unit of UK electricity in its 2026 set is about a third of the figure in its 2016 set. Part of the latest fall reflects a change in method, but the report says most of the decrease since the previous year’s set comes from grid decarbonisation. A gas boiler’s emissions do not improve as the grid changes; a heat pump’s do.
Benefit 7: heating and hot water from one system
A heat pump heats your rooms and your hot water from the same unit, as the trial’s householder guide explains. How hot water is provided varies between homes, so ask your installer to spell out exactly how it will work in yours before you sign.
What about cooling? The Energy Saving Trust notes that the UK is seeing a lot of air-to-water heat pumps going into homes, and lists the potential to provide cooling as one reason it expects growing interest in a different type, air-to-air. Do not buy an air-to-water system expecting air conditioning; if cooling matters to you, raise it at the survey.
Benefit 8: it works with solar panels and batteries
A heat pump runs on electricity, and solar panels make electricity. Energy Saving Trust research using measured data from 546 homes found that, in its modelled scenarios, combining heat pumps, solar panels and batteries with time-of-use tariffs can achieve substantial bill savings. You cannot store summer sunshine to run the heating in winter, so you will still buy much of your winter electricity from the grid. See heat pumps and solar panels and our solar installations.
Benefit 9: off gas, and in step with where policy is heading
If you also switch to electric cooking and have the gas supply disconnected, you stop paying the gas standing charge, which the Energy Saving Trust notes. Under Ofgem’s cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, that charge averages 29.68p a day: 29.68p × 365 days = £108.33, or about £108 a year at that rate. It only applies if the gas is disconnected, not just switched off, so ask your supplier what disconnection involves.
On direction of travel, the government’s Warm Homes Plan, published on 21 January 2026, sets an aim for over 450,000 heat pump installations a year by 2030. It describes heat pumps increasingly becoming the natural choice for households replacing a heating system at the end of its life, and says the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is funded to 2030.
Benefit 10: long life and simple upkeep
Government modelling for the December 2024 space heating consultation assumes an average lifespan of 18 years for an air source heat pump; the matching assessment for gas boilers assumes 15 years. These are modelling assumptions, not promises.
Upkeep is simple: the Energy Saving Trust advises an annual service by an engineer, following the manufacturer’s advice, and keeping the outdoor unit clear of bikes, bins and leaves. Some manufacturer warranties depend on it: one manufacturer’s terms say its heat pump warranty becomes invalid without an annual service. Read more in how long do heat pumps last?
Is a heat pump right for your home?
Why get a heat pump? The benefits are strongest when you own your home, can place an outdoor unit, will switch to a suitable tariff, and the system is designed from a room-by-room heat loss calculation. A survey should cover:
- the right size, from the heat loss rather than the old boiler (see what size heat pump do I need?);
- which radiators stay and which change (see do I need new radiators?);
- where the outdoor unit goes and whether it passes the noise check (see are heat pumps noisy?); and
- how hot water will be provided.
Heat pumps have real drawbacks too: the upfront cost, space outside and results that depend on design. Our heat pump pros and cons sets those out plainly, and do heat pumps work in cold weather? covers winter performance.
Where ByEco stands
ByEco is based in Manchester and installs heat pumps for homeowners in England and Wales, mostly across Greater Manchester, including in flats (see can you get a heat pump in a flat?). The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant has to be claimed by an MCS-certified installer, and ByEco’s MCS and TrustMark certification is in progress, so we cannot apply for the grant on your behalf yet. Get in touch for an honest view of what a heat pump would change in your home, or see our heat pumps page and heat pump costs.
Sources
Every figure on this page was checked against primary sources on 10 October 2026. Grant rules, planning rules and prices change — if you are reading this much later, verify before acting.
- Energy Systems Catapult for DESNZ — Electrification of Heat: Heat Pump Performance Data Analysis Report (December 2024)
- Energy Systems Catapult for DESNZ — Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project: summary report (December 2024)
- Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project — Your new heat pump (householder guide)
- GOV.UK — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get
- GOV.UK — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: check if you’re eligible
- GOV.UK — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: how to apply
- legislation.gov.uk — The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 15
- Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Guidance for Installers (Version 5.1)
- HMRC — VAT on energy-saving materials and heating equipment (VAT Notice 708/6)
- DESNZ — Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics, August 2026 (table Q1.1A)
- Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges
- Energy Saving Trust — Air source heat pumps
- Energy Saving Trust — The most efficient way to run a heat pump
- Energy Saving Trust — Your heat pump questions answered by our experts
- Energy Saving Trust — What really cuts energy bills: heat pump, technology and tariff combinations (August 2026)
- NHS — Carbon monoxide poisoning
- HSE — Domestic gas: frequently asked questions
- HSE — Gas safety checks: who needs them?
- DESNZ — Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2026
- DESNZ — Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2016
- DESNZ — Warm Homes Plan (January 2026, corrected March 2026)
- DESNZ — Raising product standards for space heating (heat pumps): options assessment
- DESNZ — Raising product standards for space heating (gas boilers): options assessment
Get a figure for your house
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