Is a hybrid air source heat pump the best choice for your home?

A hybrid air source heat pump system involves the installation of an air source heat pump into your existing home heating system alongside a gas or oil boiler.

Hybrid heating offers a middle ground between completely renewable heating, which is still unrealistic for most, and completely fossil fuelled energy which is both expensive and bad for the environment.

As the Government looks to fulfil their commitments to reach net zero carbon emissions, restrictions on oil and gas are only going to tighten, and more and more people will have to look to alternative heating sources.

Installing an air source heat pump now is the perfect way to future proof your home without having to compromise on efficiency or reliability.

Here are some of the most important things to know when installing a hybrid heat pump system:

How is a hybrid heat pump installed?

Hybrid heat pumps can come either in a single package, with a heat pump and new boiler installed at once, or more commonly, a heat pump will be fitted into your existing heating system.

Your heat pump will heat the same pipes and water tank that is currently heated solely by your gas boiler, so installation is relatively simple with limited or no access into internal walls or plumping alterations required.

How do hybrid heat pumps work?

Air source hybrid heat pumps work by taking the heat found in the ambient air outside your property and turning it into usable heat for use in the heating and hot water systems around your home.

This is done by running the air over pipes containing a liquid refrigerant that turns into a gas when heated. This gas is then compressed to raise the temperature even higher before being used to heat the water inside your pipes or water tank.

Depending on your needs you could set your heat pump up to provide hot water and your boiler heating or vice versa. Alternatively, and in most cases the most cost-effective option, you can have your system set up so that it automatically picks the most energy efficient unit to produce heat at any one time.

Normally, this will be during the warmer months when demand is slightly lower, your heat pump will be able to operate on its own and you won’t need to fire up the gas boiler even once.

In the winter when there is less heat energy in the air, your boiler will likely be more efficient and will take over the task of keeping your home at the perfect temperature.

How energy efficient are hybrid heat pumps?

Air source heat pumps are some of the most energy efficient heating sources currently available.

While a traditional gas boiler can achieve maximum energy efficiency levels of around 94%, an air source heat pump can achieve 4x as much, converting each and every unit of electricity that they use to run the system into 3-4 units of heat energy for use in your home.

In the winter this number will drop slightly, but the joy of a hybrid system is that when it does, your gas boiler is there to kick in and make sure that everything continues to run smoothly.

Which property types are best suited to a hybrid air source heat pump?

Smaller property owners may find that the heat requirements of their homes can be fulfilled solely by an air source heat pump.

However, if you live in a large, detached property, especially one in a colder climate area, this may be unrealistic.

The energy provided by a heat pump alone will not be sufficient to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, especially during the winter.

These are some of the properties that are best suited to a hybrid system with a secondary heat source kicking in to support the heat pump and cover the shortfall of energy when demand is highest.

If you have recently had a new boiler installed, or the previous occupants did, it probably doesn’t make financial sense to replace it completely so instead extending its lifespan by using a heat pump to assist at certain times is the best route forward.

How much do hybrid heat pumps cost?

If you are looking to install a hybrid heat pump alongside a gas combi boiler you can expect to pay somewhere in the region of £5000-£10000.

A new gas combi boiler will cost around £3,500 so factor this additional cost in if you are looking to install both at the same time.

The savings that you will make over the lifespan of your heat pump should cover the installation cost and then some, but this is a long-term investment and if you are thinking about moving house in the near future a different route may be your best option.