Burning gas is a common but environmentally damaging way of heating our homes. Gas-fired heating systems produce up to the equivalent of 380g of CO₂ for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of heat generated. In general, for each kWh of heat generated, an air-source heat pump using energy from non-renewable sources could result in only half as much CO₂ emissions. And renewable sources would mean even less CO₂.
So, through a £5,000 grant, the UK government is encouraging homeowners to switch to air-source heat pumps as a greener alternative to gas boilers. Air-source heat pumps extract heat from the air, even when the air is very cold, to warm water, which is then used in your home’s heating system. How well this works depends on the efficiency of the air-source heat pump.
