Where was I in the last few years you say. I rented an electric only flat and was well smug I locked in a fixed rate for 3 year deal in 2019, but got evicted. Now I've moved to a place with gas, and am glad how little my energy bill has increased thanks to gas (despite my tariff being double what it was in my old flat)
Heat pump is completely different to electric panel rads in terms of electricity consumption and therefore costs. Storage heaters are dire and always have been.
At current prices, and historic prices, heat pump is slightly cheaper than gas to run.
I thought it was common knowledge that unless you in live in a gigantic padded specially designed house in Norway, heat pumps are utterly ineffective.
No, that’s completely wrong I’m afraid. If anything you get worse performance in Norway due to lower outside temperatures.
If your property has a higher heat loss because it’s not as well insulated, you just need a bigger heat pump and bigger radiators. That’s exactly the same as on a gas boiler.
Newer property, more insulation, fewer smaller radiators, tiny boiler. Older property, less insulation, bigger boiler, more and bigger radiators.
It should also be common knowledge that the UK could provide it's own energy security via North Sea gas and oil, but we won't be having that, as whatever we produce will be floated on the international market, even if that prices the people of the UK out. Comrade Kier has also vowed we will make no progress in that direction.
That ship sailed with decades ago when the oil and gas rights were sold off to the private sector and the likes of BP and British Gas were privatised.
We’re a net importer anyway so will always be vulnerable to price shocks.
I would be interested to hear how your bills work out in winter. Did you build a new house or have a new build from a developer? Or did you retrofit an older house?
They should be less, it was a retrofit into a ~20 year old house which also has plastic microbore piping.
Bills should be lower, even ignoring the solar. It went in just before Aprils cold snap and early results were encouraging.
It replaced an old non-condensing boiler that heated a thermal store which leaked heat like crazy. In winter it didn’t really add to bills as the heating is on but in summer…
Have you asked for a refund on your massive balance?
No, I’ll leave it for now and see how it pans out over winter. I’ve got no idea where it will land at the end of the winter, it should be less than last winter but the question is by how much.
In theory the solar should cover all my energy usage in terms of raw KWh used.
But when it’s being generated and used are at very different times so I’ll see how I get on over winter and leave the DD at a token amount. I’m on a time of use tariff now which throws a big spanner into the works.
My flat had storage heaters on an Economy 7 tariff. It did not have a heat pump.
Now I have gas, and am very glad
<removed> in their massive homes and safe communities are somehow suggesting climate change is on ME, because I have gas, and not on them with their holidays abroad.
I'll finish here. Why waste my words (or memes) being censored and blocked.
<removed>
I have solar, a heat pump and an EV largely for economic reasons. The fact they lower my general footprint is a bonus.
Heat pumps are cheaper to run than gas and it was cheaper to install for me thanks to government subsidies (thanks Rishi)
Solar is a complete no brainer for anyone with the cash to install and pays for itself over the course of 5-6 years.
EVs are just generally better cars to drive and own IF you can charge at home. The total cost of ownership is also lower for me.
Let us know how that turns out
