There’s a question that comes up constantly in heating conversations between worried homeowners. It goes something like this: “I’d love a heat pump, but my house just isn’t suitable.”
The truth, backed by years of data, real installer experience and detailed engineering analysis, is that most UK homes can run a heat pump well. Not always effortlessly. Not without thought. But they do work. The question has never really been “is my house suitable?” The real question is whether the person designing and installing your system actually knows what they’re doing.
This video is my checklist… a clear-eyed walk through the real obstacles that a heat pump installation faces in a typical UK home. What are the things that genuinely need careful attention? What can be designed around? And what should you be demanding from any installer who knocks on your door?
It starts where all good heating design starts: with heat loss. If an installer isn’t doing room-by-room heat loss calculations before they size anything, that tells you everything you need to know. Walk away.
From there, the video tackles insulation, rad Delta T issues, microbore and hot water.
Watch the full video below, and if you want to go deeper, the Ultimate Guide to Heat Pumps and the free quote review service are both linked in the description.
I agree too many people think heat pumps are not suitable for their homes.
But with a good electricity tariff and sufficient energy storage, even in houses with radiators with tight sizing, you could run an R290 pump at 70C like a gas boiler does and still save running costs.