Air source heat pump vs new oil boiler: the real running costs
With oil prices volatile and grants covering most of the install, we crunch the numbers for a typical Banffshire farmhouse.
Off the mains-gas grid, most North-East homes heat with oil or LPG. Both are exposed to volatile prices, and neither is getting cheaper. So how does a modern air source heat pump compare?
Efficiency is the difference
An oil boiler turns one unit of fuel into a little under one unit of heat. A well-designed heat pump delivers three to four units of heat for every unit of electricity it uses. That efficiency — the "coefficient of performance" — is the whole story.
The numbers for a typical farmhouse
For a four-bedroom rural home we routinely see heating bills fall once the grant has covered the bulk of the install cost. Pair the heat pump with solar PV and a battery and the savings grow further. Every home is different, which is why we always model your specific property during the free survey.
Comfort, not just cost
Heat pumps run at lower flow temperatures, giving steady, even warmth rather than the on/off blast of a boiler — and no oil deliveries or tank to worry about.