Hybrid heat pumps are a smart heating solution combining a renewable heat source such as an air-source heat pump with a traditional gas or oil boiler.
Hybrid solutions are vital to reducing the carbon emissions of the UK as a country, and as the Government pushes towards net zero climate targets, these systems are only going to get more popular over time.
Hybrid heat pumps are ideal for those who wish to enjoy all the financial and environmental benefits of renewable energy but whose property is not suitable to being powered purely powered by a heat pump are similar and may require some additional assistance during the colder winter months.
In Scotland, for example, there are a lot of large buildings many years old that cannot be further insulated and require a large amount of energy to keep warm when temperatures drop.
For those in this situation or similar a hybrid heat pump could be the perfect choice.
How do hybrid heat pumps work?
A hybrid heat pump involved engineering a heat pump into an existing heating system, or installing a boiler and heat pump at the same time.
Either an air source heat pump or a ground source heat pump can be used in such a system, that work by extracting natural heat from the ambient air nearby, or the ground beneath respectively.
The hybrid heat pump will switch between the boiler and heat pump based upon which will be more energy efficient at producing hot water and heating at any one time whether through pre-existing setting by the homeowner or by using smart technology to measure nearby conditions.
In general, the majority of your heat energy will be produced by the heat pump, with your boiler only kicking in during the winter months where demand is higher and the energy produced through renewable means may not be sufficient.
What are the Advantages of a Hybrid Heat Pump?
A hybrid heat pump makes sense for many different reasons, reducing your energy bills, protecting yourself against unwelcome price hikes in the future, guaranteeing year-long heat, and all well helping to protect the environment.
Some of the biggest benefits of a hybrid heating Glasgow system include:
1. Reducing carbon emissions
With the current climate crisis at the forefront of everyone’s minds, renewable energy sources have never been more popular.
Although heat pumps are not 100% clean due to their very small use of electricity to run, supplementing your fossil fuel use with such a system will lead to a huge reduction in your reliance on finite resources such as gas and oil.
2. Reducing Energy Bills
Saving the planet is not the only benefit of reducing your fossil fuel usage and your wallet will also thank you in the long-term for making such a switch.
Heat pumps are around 300-400% efficient, meaning that for every 1 unit of electrical energy they consume they produce 3-4 units of heat, compared to the maximum 100% conversion rate of electrical heating systems and 95% of the latest combi boilers.
With the price of gas and oil soaring in recent times, and restrictions on their use making it extremely likely that this trend will continue, installing a hybrid heat pump is a fantastic way to reduce your annual bills by as much as 50%, whilst protecting you and your family against any future fluctuations in the energy market.
3. Qualifying for Government initiatives
It is not only you that is committed to the idea of reducing carbon emissions, and the Government is offering a number of incentives to encourage UK homeowners to make the switch to renewable heating in order to help them meet their own climate targets.
Installing a heat pump in your home will qualify you for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) that gives homeowners with such as system in place quarterly payments for 7 years after installation, based on the energy that they produce.
How much do hybrid heat pumps cost to install?
One of the biggest benefits of a heat pump is that it can be fitted alongside your existing radiators, underfloor heating and water tank so there is no need to pay for expensive replacements of entire plumbing systems.
As a result, a professional installer will have your pump installed in just 1-2 days with the only expenditure being the pump itself and the installation.
In the UK the full cost of an air source heat pump is usually somewhere between £4000-8000, with the system more than paying for itself over its lifetime.
Contact Us Today
Greener Energy Group have been providing smart energy solutions to customers across Scotland for over 30 years.
For more information on any of our products, including air source heat pumps and hybrid heat pumps contact us today on 03335 77 66 99 or info@greenerenergygroup.co.uk.
