Subscribe | Sign in | Manage subscription
Serving the community with trusted, independent news
The latest news, sport, entertainment, jobs, motors and property from the Maidenhead Advertiser, covering East Berkshire and South Bucks.
Search for your perfect job today
Andrew Ingram and the Eco Matters team
05:00PM, Sunday 14 January 2024
We are now being offered a grant of £7,500 to get rid of our boilers and install heat pumps – that’s a serious incentive, but are they right for your home? How do they fare in very cold weather? How much do they cost to run?
At the recent Heat Pumps Question Time held at the ECO Action Hub in Maidenhead’s Nicholsons Centre (pictured), residents got the chance to put these and many other questions to a panel of experts.
Andrew Ingram, who organised the event, said: “Experts always say ‘Fabric First’ – before you consider changing your heating system, upgrade your insulation to make the building as efficient as possible. Indeed, without this you can’t get the grant from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme”.
Heat pumps are sited outside the property so not all homes are suitable, but you don’t necessarily need a detached house or a big garden. Says Christoph Grossbaier of installers Econic: “We have installed heat pumps in terraced properties. It’s more challenging, and each property varies, but it is certainly possible.”
Air source heat pumps work by drawing the heat energy out of the air, which makes people naturally wonder whether they work in cold weather. The answer is that any air above absolute zero contains heat energy, but the colder the air the harder the pump has to work to extract it.
The ability of heat pumps to work in cold weather is demonstrated by their huge popularity in the Nordic countries – last year the Norwegians installed 600,000 compared to the UK’s 66,000.
Leah Robson, of Your Energy Your Way, said: “Heat pumps work differently from boilers, and this is reflected in the way they are used. Instead of boiling water to a high temperature and sending it round the radiators every time the temperature goes down, heat pumps work by gradually making the house warm and then maintaining that warmth across the day.”
Heat pumps are much more efficient than boilers. Where a modern boiler might be 95 per cent efficient, heat pumps are typically 300-400 per cent efficient – so, for every kilowatt of energy you put in (to drive the pump) you get 3-4 kilowatts out in the form of heat.
This means that, although they work on electricity, which is currently three times more expensive than gas, they can match and even beat a gas boiler in terms of cost per kilowatt.
Also speaking at the Question Time event was local resident Ian Alexander who, having installed a heat pump in 2021, has kept an eagle eye on the performance and costs of the pump.
He said: “This system will most certainly pay for itself over time, but arguably the biggest benefit is that we are not using gas any more which has meant a big reduction our carbon footprint”.
Further help and impartial information about heat pumps is available at https://energysavingtrust.org.uk
For more about ECO Action Windsor & Maidenhead please visit ecoactionhub.co.uk
The Eco Matters Column is a community-led project run by local volunteers. Views expressed are the contributor’s own. For information or to contribute to the column contact Andrew Ingram on ecomatters.today@gmail.com
Your Views
Your Views
standard
Most read
Eyesores no more: Councillors Simon Werner and Richard Coe beside the raised boats.
Baylis Media Photo Galleries
standard
Burnham Health & Wellbeing Fayre Burnham Park Hall, Windsor Lane, Burnham Buckinghamshire Council Children and Young People’s Partnership.
(RW) Remember When, Maidenhead Advertiser
W44 project with a dozen photographers including Mike Swift who came up with the concept and Slough Express photographer Ian Longthorne. The Slough Hub provided funds to transform the old grey 1970’s Duke House building next to Queensmere shopping Centre on Wellington Street, Slough. Painted in multi-colour with 44 smart phone black and white photos in each window. 44 portraits representing 44 …
Royal Windsor Horse Show 2024
standard
Pub In The Park, Marlow Thursday 16.5.24 Pics by Ian Longthorne Van Morrison
Queensmere Shopping Centre, Slough. New planet installations that have been put through the Queensmere as part of a project.
A petition has been set up: White Waltham C of E Academy is one of the only schools in Maidenhead and the surrounds, to not currently benefit from any form of traffic controlling measures. The petition leader and mother Caroline Matthews with piupils and Head of School Laura Denham
Mohammad Hussain is 100 years old. He is believed to be one of the last surviving Muslim soldiers who fought for Britain in WW2. Windsor
standard
Photos from The Maidenhead Advertiser 150th Anniversary book ‘Days Gone By’ are now available to buy.
Galleries of local charity events. To search for a specific photo, please use the reference number printed in the newspaper caption
View Her Majesty the Queen in our local galleries. To search for a specific photo, please use the reference number printed in the newspaper caption.
Pictures of Maidenhead MP, Theresa May. To search for a specific photo, please use the reference number printed in the newspaper caption.
standard
Galleries from Slough and its surrounding villages. To search for a specific photo, please use the reference number printed in the newspaper caption.
Galleries from Marlow and its surrounding villages. To search for a specific photo, please use the reference number printed in the newspaper caption.
Galleries from Windsor and its surrounding villages. To search for a specific photo, please use the reference number printed in the newspaper caption.
Galleries from Maidenhead and its surrounding villages. To search for a specific photo, please use the reference number printed in the newspaper caption.
standard
Maidenhead Hockey Club, Marlow Hockey Club, Slough Hockey Club, Windsor Hockey club and more…
Desborough Bowling Club, Maidenhead Town Bowls Club, Slough Bowls Club, Windsor & Eton Bowling Club and more…
Maidenhead Utd FC, Windsor FC, Slough Town FC, Burnham FC, Marlow FC, Flackwell Heath FC, Wycombe Wanderers and more…
Maidenhead RFC, Marlow RFC, Windsor RFC, Slough RFC, Phoenix RFC, Drifters RFC and more…
Top Articles
Eyesores no more: Councillors Simon Werner and Richard Coe beside the raised boats.
Five boats stranded between Maidenhead Bridge and Boulter’s Lock were raised from the water.
The 33-bedroom hotel with an extensive bar and restaurant and a terrace overlooking the River Thames was on the market for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after a baby suffered a cardiac arrest at Legoland in Windsor last week.
© Copyright 2022 Baylis Media Limited All right reserved