AOS Blog
What is the difference between a boiler and a heat pump?
Friday 28th January 2022
Boilers have long been established as the conventional way in which the vast majority of homes are heated, and there is a very well-established industry providing boiler repair, in addition to vast numbers of heating engineers who are experienced in boiler service requirements, among other things.
In recent times, though, heat pumps have arrived on the scene as an alternative to gas and oil boilers, and they have been rapidly growing in popularity. So what are the real differences between boilers and heat pumps?
Heat pumps
The key benefit of heat pumps is that they are a source of renewable energy and have a significantly lower associated carbon footprint.
Heat pumps also have a significantly better COP (Coefficient of Performance) score than boilers, with each unit of energy put into the heat pump returning as much as three times the energy output as heat.
Heat pumps can also be installed under a new UK government grant scheme, where each household is entitled to £5,000 to install low-carbon heating systems.
Boilers
Boilers are less energy-efficient when heat pumps are performing at their best.
Boilers run on gas or oil, and prices may be raised to meet the government's carbon targets.
