Air Source Heat Pump Installation in Teesdale
Air source heat pumps offer an efficient, low-carbon heating solution for well-insulated properties across Teesdale and County Durham. With £7,500 government grants available and running costs significantly lower than traditional systems, they’re the future of home heating.
We’ll Tell You If It Won’t Work
Not every property is suitable for a heat pump, and we’ll never install one if we don’t believe it will perform properly. Our detailed heat loss surveys ensure we only recommend systems we’re confident will keep you warm and comfortable. We’d rather lose a sale than install a system that disappoints you.
Proper Radiator Assessment Every Time
Some companies skip radiator calculations to keep quotes competitive, leaving you with a system that struggles to heat your home. We calculate the exact BTU requirements for every room at heat pump operating temperatures and recommend upgrades where necessary. It’s honest, thorough, and ensures your system works as it should.
Long-Term Local Support You Can Trust
We’ve been here since 2010 and we’ll still be here in another decade. Our electricians are properly trained on heat pump technology – not just certified, but genuinely skilled. When you call with a question or issue, you’re speaking to people who know your system and care about it working perfectly. That’s the difference between us and the national installers who move on to the next customer.
How Air Source Heat Pumps Work
An air source heat pump works like a refrigerator in reverse – it extracts heat from the outside air, even in cold temperatures, and transfers it into your home. The system uses a refrigeration cycle to absorb warmth from the air and compress it to a higher temperature, which then heats water for your central heating and hot water cylinder.
Think of it as remarkably efficient technology: for every 1kW of electricity used to power the pump, you can get up to 4kW of heat energy out. This efficiency ratio, called the Coefficient of Performance (COP), makes heat pumps far more efficient than traditional electric heating and even more cost-effective than gas or oil when properly installed.
The outdoor unit sits outside your property, extracting heat from the air and transferring it to an indoor system. Inside, you’ll need a hot water cylinder and a buffer tank for your heating system. The buffer tank maintains a consistent temperature for your radiators or underfloor heating, whilst the cylinder provides hot water for taps and showers.
Unlike gas boilers that fire up to full temperature when you need heat, air source heat pumps work more gradually. The buffer tank stays at a constant temperature, and when it drops below a certain level, the heat pump tops it up. This continuous, gentle heating approach is more efficient but requires a different mindset to traditional boiler operation.
We install Stiebel Eltron heat pumps – a premium German manufacturer designing systems for climates colder than ours. If they work efficiently in Germany and Austria, they’ll certainly perform well in the North East.
Is Your Property Suitable for a Heat Pump?
This is the crucial question, and we’re completely honest about it. Air source heat pumps aren’t suitable for every property, and we’ll never install one if we know it won’t work effectively.
Heat pumps are ideal for modern, well-insulated properties with low heat loss. They struggle with older buildings that have solid stone walls, single glazing, poor insulation, or high heat requirements. If your property loses heat faster than the pump can replace it, you’ll be disappointed with the results and face high running costs.
We calculate heat loss for every property before even discussing installation. This detailed survey considers your wall construction, window types, roof insulation, floor area, room heights, and typical occupancy patterns. If your heat loss exceeds around 16kW – the maximum output of most domestic heat pumps – we’ll tell you straight away that a heat pump isn’t appropriate.
When customers contact us about heat pumps and our calculations show the property isn’t suitable, we recommend alternatives like biomass boilers that can handle higher heat demands. We’d rather lose a sale than install a system that won’t work properly. That’s not good business practice for anyone.
For properties that are borderline, we’ll discuss improvements. Sometimes adding loft insulation, upgrading windows, or improving wall insulation can reduce heat loss enough to make a heat pump viable. But we’ll always be honest about whether the investment in improvements plus the heat pump cost makes financial sense compared to alternative heating solutions.
Installation Requirements and What to Expect
Installing an air source heat pump requires more than just swapping your old boiler. There are several important considerations, and we’ll walk you through all of them during our site visit.
The installation typically takes around a week, depending on the complexity of your system and whether radiator upgrades are needed. Our electricians handle everything – they’re all trained specifically on heat pump technology and understand the nuances that make these systems work efficiently.
Running Costs and Efficiency
The efficiency of an air source heat pump depends heavily on proper installation and suitable property conditions. When correctly matched to your property, running costs are typically lower than oil or electric heating and competitive with gas, especially with current energy prices.
The key metric is the Coefficient of Performance (COP). We aim for a COP of 1:4, meaning for every 1kW of electricity used, you get 4kW of heat. In reality, most systems achieve between 1:3.5 and 1:3.7, which is still remarkably efficient. To put this in perspective, even at a COP of 3.5, you’re getting more than three times the heat energy compared to a standard electric heater.
Electricity currently costs around 25-27 pence per kWh, whilst gas is approximately 6-7 pence per kWh. However, because the heat pump is 3.5-4 times more efficient, your effective heating cost becomes competitive with or cheaper than gas. When you factor in the £7,500 government grant reducing installation costs, the payback period is typically very attractive.
The real running cost benefits become apparent when you pair a heat pump with solar panels and battery storage. During sunny days, you’re essentially heating your home for free using solar-generated electricity. Many of our customers combine these technologies, dramatically reducing their energy bills whilst cutting their carbon footprint.
We provide detailed financial projections when we design your system, showing expected running costs based on your property’s heat loss and current energy tariffs. No surprises, no hidden costs – just honest numbers so you can make an informed decision.
Testimonials
In my 90th year and almost housebound I find that I have to rely more heavily on family, friends and a wide variety of firms and organisations. I have used Teesdale Renewables for many years for plumbing, heating and lighting issues. The office staff and workforce have been unfailingly efficient, helpfuland friendly over that time.Very recently I had a new central heating boiler installed and replacement lights fitted in the porch and under kitchen cupboards. The boiler change was completed within the day causing minimum disruption to the normal function of the house in respect of water and gas supplies and is proving to be very efficient and effective. The lights were installed in a few hours and are superb.I would never think of going anywhere else for the services provided by Teesdale Renewables so effectively and at reasonable cost.
Thank you for the excellent service from staff member of the electrician team- he was very capable, experienced and well mannered. I will definitely be using your services again.
Thanks for the invoice for the installation of our wood burning stove. We are delighted with the stove and with the work undertaken.
Heat Pumps and Solar PV – The Perfect Partnership
Whilst heat pumps can operate independently, they work brilliantly alongside solar panels and battery storage. This combination represents the future of home energy for many properties.
During daylight hours, your solar panels generate electricity that can power your heat pump directly. Any excess charges your batteries, which can then power the heat pump during evenings or cloudy periods. This dramatically reduces the amount of grid electricity you’re buying to run your heating system.
In practical terms, many of our customers with combined systems find they’re heating their homes largely or entirely from solar energy during spring, summer, and autumn. Even in winter, when solar generation is lower, you’re offsetting a significant portion of your heating costs.
The government recognises this synergy. Heat pumps are their preferred renewable heating technology, and whilst there’s currently no grant for solar panels, the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for heat pumps makes the combined investment more affordable.
We work with both technologies daily, so we can design integrated systems that work together seamlessly. Whether you’re installing everything at once or adding heat pumps to existing solar, or solar to an existing heat pump, we’ll ensure your systems complement each other for maximum efficiency and savings.
Our Installation and Support Process
The Government’s Preferred Green Technology
Air source heat pumps are the government’s chosen path toward decarbonising home heating. The UK aims to phase out fossil fuel heating systems, and heat pumps are seen as the primary replacement technology for properties connected to or off the mains gas network.
The current Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides a £7,500 grant toward air source heat pump installation – substantially more than the £5,000 available for biomass boilers. This reflects the government’s strong backing of the technology.
However, government support doesn’t mean heat pumps are right for everyone. We’ve had frank discussions with our local MP about our concerns that some companies are installing heat pumps in unsuitable properties, leaving customers with systems that don’t work properly and no recourse when those companies disappear. We’re very careful about this – we want to be here in ten years, still supporting our customers, not avoiding phone calls because we’ve installed systems we knew wouldn’t work.
The grant application process is straightforward, and we handle it on your behalf. The money comes directly off your installation cost, so you’re only paying the balance. There are some eligibility requirements around Energy Performance Certificates and other factors, which we’ll explain during our consultation.
Air Source Heat Pump Questions Answered
Will a heat pump heat my home as well as my current boiler?
If your property is suitable and the system is correctly sized, yes absolutely. However, heat pumps work differently to boilers – they provide constant, gentle heating rather than rapid temperature boosts. Your home will feel comfortably warm, but you won’t get that immediate blast of heat you might be used to with a gas boiler. The key is proper system design with adequate radiator sizing. If we’ve recommended radiator upgrades and you skip them to save money, your heating performance will suffer. We won’t install a system if we don’t believe it will keep you comfortable.
Are heat pumps noisy?
Modern heat pumps are relatively quiet – far quieter than older models. You’ll hear a low hum when the unit is operating, similar to a refrigerator or air conditioning unit. The noise level is typically around 40-50 decibels at a few metres distance. We position units carefully during installation to minimise any impact on you or your neighbours. Inside your home, you’ll barely notice the system operating. They’re certainly much quieter than oil boilers or traditional heating systems that clank and bang as they fire up.
How long do air source heat pumps last?
A well-maintained air source heat pump should last 15-20 years or more. The outdoor unit may need some component replacements during that time, but the systems are designed for longevity. They need annual servicing, similar to a boiler, to maintain efficiency and catch any minor issues before they become major problems. The German manufacturer we use, Stiebel Eltron, builds robust systems designed for decades of operation in harsh climates. With proper maintenance, your heat pump will outlast most conventional boilers.
Do I need to upgrade my radiators even if my current ones heat the house fine?
Probably, yes. Your existing radiators might heat your home perfectly well with a gas or oil boiler running at 65°C, but heat pumps operate at around 45°C. At this lower temperature, radiators don’t output as much heat. During our heat loss survey, we calculate the exact BTU output needed in each room and compare it against what your current radiators can deliver at 45°C. If there’s a shortfall, we’ll recommend upgrades. Some companies skip this step to keep quotes low, but you’ll end up with a system that struggles to heat your home properly. We’d rather be honest upfront about what’s needed.
Can I get a grant for an air source heat pump?
Yes, the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides a £7,500 grant towards air source heat pump installation. This is available for both domestic properties and some commercial premises when replacing fossil fuel heating systems. There are eligibility requirements – your property needs an Energy Performance Certificate meeting certain standards, and the installation must be MCS certified (which all our installations are). We handle the grant application on your behalf, and the money comes directly off your installation cost. You just pay the balance.
What happens if there’s a power cut?
Like any electrically powered heating system, your heat pump won’t operate during a power cut. However, your home won’t immediately go cold. The water in your buffer tank and radiators retains heat for some time, and your property’s insulation helps maintain temperature. If power cuts are a concern in your area, you could consider pairing your heat pump with solar panels and battery storage with backup capability. This can keep essential systems running during outages, though it requires specific equipment and adds to the installation cost.
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Our straightforward installation process is designed to make your transition to solar energy as smooth as possible:
