-
The £7.5K ASHP grant now means you’ll pay around the same price as a new gas boiler install
I'm assuming that's not counting fitting 10 new bigger radiators though (and whatever changes are required to fit those).
Although the biggest problem for me at the moment is how big they are if you have limited outside space.
aggi-
Agreed on the form factor front. The UK is still in the stone age with regards to product availability and install/support infrastructure. In Scandinavia for example, many low-rise single-occupancy dwellings have heat pumps that look like chode chimneys up on their roofs, tucked out the way, with the cold exhaust venting harmlessly upwards.
This form factor doesn’t exist in the UK, although the new Red/Octopus ASHP edges closer to something a bit more palatable than a massive, ugly grey aircon box blowing icy air across your patio.
ectoplasmosis
I would really reconsider splurging for a gas boiler right now.
Even if your house is poorly insulated and leaky, a heat pump will work as long as you beef up your radiators. Friends of ours got a Mitsubishi Ecodan ASHP ~3 years ago, in an un-refurbed Victorian terrace with single-glazed dash windows and no insulation. All they did was upgrade the rads. Their bills were equivalent to those with their previous gas boiler, factoring in no more gas standing charges, Octopus smart tariff and smart controller programming.
They’ve now put in triple-glazing, UFH on ground floor and some insulation, and their bills are ~30% lower.
The £7.5K ASHP grant now means you’ll pay around the same price as a new gas boiler install, future proof yourself, and ur farts will smell delightful. It’s a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned.