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If you’re planning to install an air source heat pump in your home or property, one of the first questions you’d probably want to ask is, how long does it last? In this post, we aim to provide an answer to this question and more. Let’s take a look!

Generally, heat pumps are considered to be very durable and long lasting. In the previous years, their average life expectancy was at 15 years, however with the advancement in modern technology, the newest units are able to last for about 20 to 25 years before they become due for replacement. The longevity and durability of air source heat pumps is as a result of their design as you won’t find many things that can go wrong and even more so with their latest models. As you would have expected, their lifespan normally varies with the manufacturer as well as model. However, while having them regularly maintained can help to extend their life expectancy and efficiency, they’re not considered to be a necessity.

When compared to other types of heating sources, heat pump comes out on top when it comes to longevity. The significance of this is immense due to the fact that the nature of the RHI scheme is to recoup sufficient funds so that after 7 years, the system will ultimately have costed nothing beyond that of a new boiler depending on the performance. Other heating sources such as oil, gas and electric boilers will only have to work for about 10 to 12 years before their parts will need to be replaced and times the manufacturer may have well stopped producing such parts.

Obviously the performance of a solar thermal system will vary depending on the location of the home, the insulation of the property, and your own hot water requirements. Solar thermal panels are capable of providing all of your hot water requirements from April to September. They will still make a contribution to your hot water needs for the rest of the year, but in general you will need a backup system to further heat the water in the colder months.

So do you wish to take advantage of the heat generated by the ground to warm up your home by getting a ground source heating pump? If yes, then you’d also probably be wondering how much a ground source heat pump is going to cost so you can set a budget and start planning.

Installing and running ground source heat pump can cost between the range of £600 to £700 to run on an annual basis, meanwhile it can cost you within a range of £13,000 to £19,000 to have installed. However, you should take note that these prices can be by varying influencing factors such as the size of the installation as well as any other extra work that may needed to complete the job.

When it comes to estimating the time it takes to recover the initial cost of the system via energy savings, nothing is certain as this can be very hard to determine or predict. The main reason for this is due to the fact that it’s dependent on the efficiency of your heating system, the type of system you’re replacing ( whether or not you qualify for Renewable Heat Incentive -RHI payments ), the efficiency of your home’s insulation, how efficiently the system’s controls are being used and how the heat generated from the ground source heat pump would be put to use. However, to figure out how much you’ll save, the type of fuel replacing is perhaps the most essential. For a four bedroom detached house, you can save between a range of £1,200 to £1,300 for a LPG fuel replaced, £1,400 to £1,500 for an electricity fuel replaced, £600 to £700 for an oil fuel replaced and finally, £200 to £300 for a solid fuel replaced.

In a similar way to other major home improvement projects, some specific requirements must be met to allow for the installation of solar panels. The main reason why these standards and regulations were established is to minimize the risk of the solar system becoming an issue or potential hazard in the unforeseeable future. So if you’re thinking about buying and fitting new solar panels, you’ll probably want to know whether or not you’ll require to submit a planning permission application for approval before you can proceed.

Generally, solar panels are covered under what’s called “Permitted Development” which gives you the freedom to install your solar panels without having to apply for a planning permission. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. These exceptions include if your house is a listed building or if your house is located within a conservation area. In these exceptional cases, it’s possible that you’ll need to apply for a planning permission, but this will largely depend on the discretion of your Local Planning Authority. What’s more? Solar panels are usually subjected to normal building regulations which includes examining the roof to make sure that it can support the additional weight. You can call in a MCS certified installer to carry out this check for you.

In order to install your solar PV on your roof, you must follow these guidelines:

✓ Your solar panels shouldn’t go beyond the highest point of the roof (excluding chimneys).

✓ The solar panels shouldn’t project beyond 200mm off the roof’s edge.

✓ The solar panels should be removed once they’re no longer used to produce electricity

✓ The solar panels should be installed such that the area and building’s appearance change is minimized.

It may be hard to believe with the summers we have in the UK, but there is more than enough sunlight to power solar panels. Solar PV (photovoltaic) panels operate in daylight, rather than needing direct rays from the sun so they’ll work throughout the year.

Solar thermal panels work by capturing heat directly from the sun and using it to heat water. This hot water is then passed through a coil to heat the water for your central heating system. Solar thermal systems are compatible with many existing conventional boilers with hot water tanks, and can be set up to feed in to your existing heating system.

Biomass boilers can be designed to work with other kinds of heating. The most common of these is solar thermal. This is a popular renewable energy pairing. Solar thermal heating will meet your hot water needs during the summer while a biomass boiler can operate as a backup during the winter when solar thermal panels do not perform as well.