One Year On With a Heat Pump: Warm, Efficient, and Gas-Free

 


One Year On With a Heat Pump: Warm, Efficient, and Gas-Free

We kept the heating on all day — and our bills still went down.

🏠 A Year Ago, We Made the Leap

We ditched gas. We installed a heat pump.
We braced ourselves for frostbite, financial regret… and, maybe, the smug warmth of good intentions.

A year later?

We’re warm. We’re efficient. We’ve learned a lot.
And we haven’t looked back (except to check the gas meter... which now does nothing at all).

🌡️ Heating On. All Day. Every Day.

One of the biggest surprises?

We don’t turn the heating off.
Our air-source heat pump runs constantly, gently maintaining a steady temperature throughout the day and night.

And the house?
Cosy. Even when the rain’s horizontal and the dog refuses to leave the porch.

Because we work from home, this has been a game-changer.
No more freezing until 4 pm trying to “save heating” — just steady, smart warmth.

💡 Why Constant Heat Works

  • Heat pumps work best with low, steady temperatures

  • No sudden surges = greater efficiency

  • Warm walls, not just warm air = longer-lasting comfort

  • Radiators are larger, because the water isn’t as hot — but they stay warm

Set your thermostat and forget it. The pump does the rest.

☀️ Solar-Assisted Hot Water

Even better?
We’ve paired the heat pump with a solar thermal system.

From March to October, the sun does most of the water heating — no electricity needed.
In spring and autumn, it takes the edge off, reducing demand on the heat pump.

It’s a great combo:

  • Solar thermal = hot water

  • Heat pump = space heating

  • Gas = someone else’s problem

📉 The Numbers That Matter

  • No gas bill at all — we’re completely disconnected

  • Electric usage up, but balanced by solar panels and cheap overnight rates

  • House warm 24/7

  • Carbon footprint way down

  • Comfort level way up

Is it perfect? Not quite.
But it’s better — for the planet and for our home.

Final Thought

We were told a heat pump would only work in a super-insulated new build.
We were told it would cost more to run.
We were told we’d be cold.

They were wrong.

One year in, our heat pump is quietly humming along, heating our home without a whiff of gas — or guilt.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Caffeine With a Conscience: Sustainable Coffee at Home

Image
  Caffeine With a Conscience: Sustainable Coffee at Home ( How to keep your brew strong but your footprint light ) For many of us, coffee is less a drink and more a survival mechanism. But behind every comforting cup is an industry that comes with a hefty environmental and social cost. From deforestation to exploitative labour , the true price of coffee can be far higher than what you pay at the till. The good news? You don’t have to give it up. You just need to drink it smarter. The Hidden Cost of Coffee Coffee production is linked to deforestation, water waste , and pesticide use . Global demand encourages intensive farming that depletes soils and biodiversity . Billions of single-use cups and pods end up in landfill every year. Your morning pick-me-up doesn’t have to be part of the problem. Choose Better Beans Look for certifications that mean something: Fairtrade : Farmers get a fairer deal. Rainforest Alliance : Supports biodiversity and sustainab...
Read more

Using Ecosia: The Search Engine That Plants Trees

Image
  Using Ecosia: The Search Engine That Plants Trees ( Click. Search. Plant. Repeat. ) Imagine if every time you googled something, you planted a tree. No, it’s not some kind of green-tech fantasy — it’s Ecosia , a real search engine that uses its ad revenue to fund global reforestation projects. And all it takes is changing your browser’s homepage. What Is Ecosia? Ecosia is a free, privacy-respecting search engine based in Germany. It works just like Google or Bing, but with a twist: They use 100% of their profits to plant trees. So far, they've funded over 180 million trees in places like: Brazil Burkina Faso Madagascar Indonesia Kenya All you have to do is search the web. That’s it. You search — they plant. How It Works Every time you search on Ecosia, the platform earns revenue from clicks on sponsored search results (just like Google). Roughly 45 searches = 1 tree . The money goes to vetted reforestation projects with a focus on: Native bi...
Read more

Terracycling Explained: Because Some Plastics Just Won’t Die

Image
  Terracycling Explained: Because Some Plastics Just Won’t Die ( And yet somehow still end up in my cupboard ) We all know the recycling drill: bottles, cans, paper, cardboard. Simple enough. But then you’re left holding a crisp packet , a toothpaste tube , or that mysterious plastic wrapper that looks recyclable but definitely isn’t . Welcome to the world of Terracycle – where the plastics that haunt your kitchen finally get a second chance. 🧟 The Problem: Zombie Plastics Some plastics refuse to die. Local councils won’t take them because they’re: Mixed materials (foil + plastic = nightmare) Too lightweight to sort Too low-value to recycle profitably Result? Landfill . Incineration . Ocean. Repeat. 🧩 The Terracycle Solution Terracycle runs specialist recycling schemes for things that normally can’t be recycled: Crisp & snack packets Toothpaste tubes & brushes Coffee pods Make-up containers Rubber gloves Even cigarette butts (ye...
Read more