Heat Pump, Solar and Battery in Malvern: Eric and Eileen

"It is currently costing us nothing to run": Eric and Eileen's heat pump, solar and battery in Malvern

Eric (82) and Eileen (74) live in a village bungalow near Malvern, Worcestershire. In July this year, they replaced their gas combi boiler with an air source heat pump. A £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant covered about 52% of the heat pump install. That freed up their savings for solar panels and a battery.

Why did they leave gas behind?

A mix of things: rising gas costs, worries about future supply security, and a wish to move away from fossil fuels altogether. They also wanted to pair a heat pump with solar panels, and the grant made that plan affordable. "It made a big difference to what we had to pay, and meant we could afford to add solar panels into the mix," says Eileen. "Without the grant, we probably wouldn't have gone ahead."

How did they pick an installer?

They weighed up several quotes before choosing OVO Solar & Heating. "Right from the initial contact, we felt we were with a company that really knew the products they were selling," Eileen says. The grant application was one of the easiest parts. "OVO Solar & Heating did most of the work for us, there were no complications at all."

What happened on install days?

Five engineers finished the job in about three days. “Everyone knew their role and got on with it with no extended tea breaks! We were kept informed at every stage, and all our questions were answered clearly.”

They'd been nervous beforehand after hearing "scare stories" about space and disruption. The reality was different. "The installers did such a neat job we still had space for shelves in our old airing cupboard. It actually became an exciting project."

What did they say changed day to day?

• hot water is nearly instant, where the old combi boiler meant waiting about five minutes and running a lot of cold water
• the heat pump runs for just an hour each morning, which gives them enough hot water for the whole day
• noise isn't an issue: "you can barely hear it"
• it can be controlled through an app or a wall-mounted control, and they found both simple and intuitive

What about running costs?

"It's important to say we haven't had a full winter yet to know our overall costs, but we're very optimistic." So far, thanks to the solar panels and battery, "it is currently costing us nothing to run the heat pump". Their gas bill has fallen dramatically, and their electricity bill is now "pence per week rather than pounds".

Their advice to anyone considering the switch, especially those on oil heating: "Go for it!"

Thinking about a heat pump? Get your heat pump survey today

FAQs

Is a heat pump suitable for a bungalow?Eric and Eileen’s bungalow now runs on one. The install took about three days. Most homes can have a heat pump. What matters is insulation, outdoor space for the unit, radiator size, a hot water cylinder and your electricity supply. OVO’s free survey checks all of these and includes a heat loss calculation for every room.

Can a heat pump work with solar panels and a battery?Yes. Eric and Eileen say their solar and battery are covering the running costs at the moment.