When renting a place, you must take into account the cost of utilities. You’ll have to pay for your utilities, such as gas, water, Wi-Fi, and electricity, in addition to your monthly rent and any expenses related to signing a lease.
Electricity is usually the most expensive of your utilities, costing roughly £90-£100 per month for the average home.
Of course, this number varies based on your energy usage, where you reside, the size of your home or apartment, and whether or not you have any roommates.
However, while electricity is usually the most expensive of your utilities, it is also the area where you can save the most money—as long as you have the correct energy-saving strategy in place.
You should expect to pay roughly 28p per KWh of power used on average. While this is highly prone to vary, a normal household will spend roughly £560 per year, or approximately £47 per month, depending on the average level of consumption.
Important update: the new energy price cap from October the 1st 2022 will increase the cost of electricity to 52p per kWh, an increase of more than 80%, therefore averages are not going to be very useful.
To find out more about what you can expect to pay, check out our complete guide on appliance running costs and our guide on the average electricity costs per kWh from October onwards.
Heaters, being essential to every household can end up adding to the overall cost of electricity. The best alternative to that is to use air source heat pumps.
They not only give enough warmth inside the house but also are lighter on the pocket. Here is everything you need to know about air source heat pumps.
Advantages of Air Source Heat Pumps on Electricity Bills:
- Save Money: The most significant aspect of Air Source Heat Pumps is that they are cost-effective. Heat pumps are significantly less expensive to operate than electric heating systems.
- Automation: Heat pumps require far less work than biomass boilers because they can be totally automated.
- Save Space: Heat pumps take up less room. There are no requirements for fuel storage.
- Less Management: There’s no need to keep track of fuel deliveries.
- More Security: There is no danger of gasoline theft.
- Less Risk: Heat pumps are completely risk-free. There is no burning in the process, and no potentially hazardous gases are released. There are no flues required.
- Fewer Maintenance Efforts: In comparison to combustion-based heating systems, ASHPs require less maintenance. In addition, they last longer than combustion boilers.
- Environmental Friendly: Heat pumps help to reduce carbon emissions. A heat pump generates no carbon emissions on location, unlike burning oil, gas, LPG, or biomass (and no carbon emissions at all, if a renewable source of electricity is used to power them).
- Useful All Year Round: Heat pumps provide both cooling and heating in the summer and winter respectively.
Choosing the right size air source heat pump for your home
A terrific alternative to standard gas boilers is an air source heat pump. On purchase and installation of greener heating systems, the government is paying up to a £5k incentive per family. Now could be the ideal time to make a purchase.
Even though a new air source heat pump may be more cost-effective – and perhaps help you save money on your energy costs – it isn’t as simple as buying one off the shelf. To get the best results, you’ll need to figure out what size air source heat pump you need for your home.
If you want to learn about the best way to heat your conservatory, you may want to check out our guide on which electric heater is cheapest to run, you may be surprised to find out that it is not a halogen heater.
Cost of Air Source Heat Pump
A new gas or oil-fired central heating system is more expensive than an air source heat pump.
Depending on the manufacturer of the pump and the amount of heat it produces, the price might range from £4,000 to £8,000.
You’ll also have to cover the cost of installation. It’s possible that the total will be between £5,000 and £10,000.
Importance of Air Source Heat Pump Size
If you believe that the larger the size of your air source heat pump, the better, you are mistaken. The output of air source heat pumps is measured in kilowatts (kW).
A heat pump with a 10 kW rating, for example, delivers 10 kW of heat (based on the air temperature outside).
A heat pump with a rating that is too high for your household’s heating needs will turn on and off often.
This can result in hefty energy costs, as well as wear and tear on the equipment. A heat pump with a poor efficiency rating will use more energy and run longer.
Even then, it may not be able to maintain a pleasant temperature in your home. This could also have a negative impact on your finances.
Figuring Out the Right Size Air Source Heat Pump
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all option. When determining the optimal size of your air source heat pump, you’ll need to consider a number of criteria.
Size of Home
The size of your space is an important factor to take into consideration and also the fact that some rooms in your space need more warmth than others.
Insulation
Unlike gas boilers, which heat the water to a high degree before turning it off, an air source heat pump maintains a lower temperature.
That implies any heat loss in your home will reduce your air source heat pump’s performance.
Radiators
You’ll also need to know about your home’s heat distribution system when installing an air source heat pump.
This refers to the manner in which heat is distributed throughout your home, for as via radiators or underfloor heating.
Your Location
The situation is not the same in every section of the UK. On the east coast, places like Canterbury and Ashford get an average of 10 hours of sunlight every day. While the other areas see an average of only 2.2 hours of daily sunshine.
Will heat pump size affect running costs?
Purchasing an air source heat pump with a low output rating will result in higher operating costs.
Using an overly strong air source heat pump, on the other hand, isn’t a viable option. The air source heat pump will short cycle if the output is too high for your heating needs.
When it frequently turns on and off, this is the case. Short cycling can result in higher energy bills and system strain.
How Much Money Can You Save?
When compared to electric furnaces and baseboard heaters, air source heat pumps can save up to 50% on heating electricity, as per the Environmental Protection Agency.
Heat pumps can save you 20-70 percent on your annual heating and cooling expenditures throughout the year.