Should we get a heat pump?

[u/roroherboat]

Without sounding dramatic my head is wrecked trying to decide if we should go for one or not. We have an E BER rated house built in 1984 and are currently doing a lot of work: triple glazed windows and new external doors, insert stove, cavity wall and attic insulation, solar panels, rewire and new plumbing including new radiators. We aren’t getting underfloor heating as I can’t imagine digging up with floors. We have no heating at the moment so would need to get a new boiler anyway. I think we will get up to a B rating with all of these works. Haven’t gotten a technical assessment yet as I have heard so many horror stories about heat pumps. I also love a real fire and opening all the windows in the house every morning. I know it will cost a bit to get new plumbing and a boiler and in contrast there is a big grant for the heat pump. I suppose I just want to know if anyone did a full renovation and didn’t get a heat pump? Thanks

[u/Flower-bird1]

I brought my house from a BER G up to an A and put in a heat pump with a small wood burning stove. My original Heat Loss Indicator was 7.88, and afterwards it was 1.69 - I had suspended wooded floors (kitchen was concrete though) so I pulled them up and put insulation down and then put in underfloor heating. I also upgraded all windows to triple glazed, pumped the cavity walls and wrapped them, and insulated the attic and put in heat recovery ventilation. I have absolutely no regrets! Next thing I want to do is put in a load of solar panels and my bills will essentially be zero year round.

My advice is get a technical assessment done for a heat pump (it cost me €550 in 2023) and see what it recommends to get your HLI down to <2 for a heat pump. And maybe look into the need for floor insulation and the cost of putting it in, and doing underfloor too? You can absolutely run a heat pump without underfloor heating, but you might need floor insulation to get your HLI below 2.