It’s important to ensure that your home is suitable for making use of a heat pump heating system. It is always best to discuss the options with a heating engineer, as they will also need to correctly size the system before installation.
The first thing to bear in mind about heat pump heating systems is that they operate at lower temperatures than gas boiler systems. A traditional boiler-and-radiator system generally runs at around 70oC to 80oC; a heat pump system recommended temperature is between 35oC to 55oC.
This means that for the heat pump to provide a comfortable indoor temperature, the house must be well insulated. Investing in loft insulation and modern windows and doors would be an important first step if your home does not have these already. You will find that these will go some way to lowering your heating bills, whatever system you use.
You may also have to consider that the lower running temperature of heat pump system might require replacing older radiators with new, larger and more effective models to ensure the system operates efficiently. And if you don’t currently have a hot water cylinder (for example, if you have a combi-boiler that heats water as you need it) then you would also probably have to have one fitted if the heat pump is providing hot water as well as heating. It is important to bear in mind that with an air-source heat pump heating system there is an outdoor unit. These are generally around 1m x 1m x 330mm. Having a garden or outside space is an advantage, but there are units that can fit onto walls or balconies in apartment blocks.