Get a Heat Pump

A heat pump extracts heat from the air outside and brings it into the home using electricity. This means you get a bigger quantity of heat with less electrical power usage.

Air-source heat pumps give you comfortable, consistent heating and hot water. But with…

• Less energy: Heat pumps use up to 4x less energy than even the most efficient boilers to generate the same amount of heat.
• Less carbon: That efficiency means you’ll instantly slash your heat carbon footprint by around 80%. Plus, they run on electricity, which gets greener every year.
• Longer life: A heat pump can last 20 years – up to twice as long as a gas boiler.

Visit our Heat Pump Hub to find out more.

From our research, we found homeowners with a heat pump are generally happier with their heating than those with a gas boiler.

We surveyed 2,300 customers to find out how satisfied they were with their heating system, including heat pump owners and gas boiler owners. The results showed that:

• 90% of heat pump owners were satisfied with how warm it kept their home, compared to 80% of gas boiler owners.
  
• Heat pump customers gave their heating system a 7 out of 10 rating in terms of cost-effectiveness, while gas boiler owners rated theirs at 6.

To run, a heat pump differs a little from a traditional gas boiler, here’s 4 pointers explaining how:

1. Heat pumps take longer to warm up

A heat pump uses cooler water to heat your home, so it can take a little longer to warm up to your chosen temperature. That means it’s best to set a schedule for the heating to come on before you get up in the morning.

1. Heat pump controls are simple to use.

You’ll be able to set your schedule and temperature from wherever, whenever with an app on your phone. Plus, you’ll have both a digital control panel and thermostat in your home - so you’re free to use whichever works best for you. Check out our handy video on how to set up a schedule for a little insight into how it works: https://octo.ps/schedule

1. Octopus smart tariffs can help you save money

With a smart tariff you can heat your water cylinder at the greenest times at cheaper rates, saving you money with smart energy usage. Check out our dedicated heat pump tariff, Cosy Octopus: https://octopus.energy/smart/cosy-octopus/

4. Your heat pump will adjust to the weather automatically

To help you save energy, we set your heat pump to monitor how hot or cold it is outside, and adjust the temperature accordingly.

The outside bit of a heat pump is roughly 1m x 1m x 2m (or to help you visualise - the size of a moped). It needs a space of around a meter in-front and to each side to breathe.

Inside you need space for a hot water tank - 2m x 1m x 1m (the size of a modern fridge freezer), on the ground or first floor of your home (the closer to the outside the better).

The cylinder can also be installed in a garage, outdoors in a purpose-built store, or in the loft, but this may decrease efficiency (it takes more energy to heat the water when the cylinder is exposed to the cold).

If you don't have the room right now, new space saving technology is being developed all the time, so expect this to come down considerably in future (more on this to come 👀).

Making home improvements is really exciting, and a heat pump could be the icing on the cake! If you’re planning to make structural changes (like knocking down a wall or adding an extension), you will need to wait for the renovation to be complete before we can begin designing your heat pump.

This is because big changes will alter the overall heat loss and thermal performance of your property. We tailor your heat pump design specifically to your home, so if the layout changes, the needs of your heat pump will too. This means your heat pump may end up being too small or less efficient, and cost you more money in the long run. Your heat pump may also no longer meet MCS requirements, which is needed for the government grant.

However, there are some things you can factor into your renovation plans now to get your home heat pump ready:

• Underfloor heating/ radiators - underfloor heating is the perfect partner for heat pumps or larger, higher output radiators to accommodate the lower flow temp. Just let your contractor know you're planning to match it with a heat pump and they'll find the right emitters for you.
• Pipework - you'll need a minimum pipe size of 15mm for a conventional heat pump. If you have smaller pipes, they can still work well but you may need a more bespoke system.
• Space - think about where you'll be placing your heat pump (outside) and water cylinder (inside) - the closer together, the better!
• Insulation - renovation can be a prime time to add more insulation to your property, which will make your heating more efficient (whatever system you have)

Please get back in touch once your renovation is structurally complete and we'll be happy to give you a heat pump quote.

As of March '24, Our finance trial with MBNA has now ended. The information below is only relevant if received correspondence from Octopus regarding finance before the trial ended.

We can connect you with our friends at MBNA Limited who have a financing offer to spread the cost of your heat pump.

When you receive your heat pump quote, we’ll send you a link to check your eligibility for a personal loan with MBNA Limited. If you do decide to check your eligibility, you should wait until your home survey is complete and you have signed your sales contract before completing the full loan application.

Once you have signed your sales contract, you can proceed with the loan if you decide it’s right for you. Subject to approval, you could have the money in your account for your heat pump within 2 hours. Rarely, it can take up to 3 working days.

When you receive your price we’ll send you a link to check your options and eligibility for a personal loan with MBNA Limited.

If you wish to proceed with the loan, and are approved, you could have the money in your account for your heat pump within 2 hours. Rarely, it can take up to 3 working days.

*Octopus Energy Services Ltd is an appointed representative for Octopus Electric Vehicles Ltd and is a credit broker and not the lender. Octopus Energy Services Ltd is an introducer to MBNA Limited.

For personal (unsecured) loans, MBNA Limited works exclusively with Lloyds Bank plc. MBNA Limited Is a credit broker and not the lender. MBNA is a trading style of Lloyds Bank plc, Registered Office, 25 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HN. The issue of a loan and the amount of credit or lending offered to you depends on an assessment of your personal circumstances. The interest rate offered to you will also be based on this assessment. To apply, you must be a UK resident aged 18 and over.

Interested in buying a heat pump?

Call us: 0808 196 6842
Email: heat@octopus.energy
(our phone lines are open 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday)

Need support after installation?

Call us: 0808 175 1696
Email: aftercare@octoes.com
(Our aftercare phone line is open 8am – 8pm Monday to Saturday, 10am - 6pm Sunday. Or we answer emails 7 days a week, so we’ll be on hand to help asap.)

For the fastest response, fill out this form to raise any issues. Alternatively, you can email us at heat@octopus.energy or call 0808 196 6842.

Check out our full complaints procedure here.

94% of our heat pump quotes beat the national average:
We compared all of our heat pump quotes for Oct to Dec 2023 o the UK national average installation cost, which government
publish here every quarter.

We found that 94% of our Octopus quotes were below the national average price of £6,082.

This includes the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant of £7,500.

Cut carbon emissions by around 80% with a heat pump:
This is the typical reduction in heating carbon emissions using an electric powered heat pump compared to a gas boiler, based on the following calculation:

Gas CO2 = (A/C*D) = 2.35 tonnes

Electricity CO2 = (A/B*E) = 0.45 tonnes

Carbon saving = 1.9 tonnes or 82%

Where A - E are:

A - 9,250 MWh typical energy demand for a medium use property (according to Ofgem).

B - 3 heat pump seasonal coefficient of performance

C - new boiler efficiency of 82.5% (BEIS study)

D - Gas fuel emissions of 210 gCO2/kWh (SAP 10.2)

E - Electricity fuel emissions of 136 gCO2/kWh (SAP 10.2)

See our cost to run blog for the full set of calculations and assumptions

A heat pump is up to 4x more efficient than a gas boiler
Heat pumps can deliver several units of heat for each unit of electricity. For every 1 kWh of electricity you put in, you could get up to 3.33kWh of heat out, which is an efficiency of 333%! This is because heat pumps don’t create heat, but move existing heat from nature into your home (like an air conditioner or refrigerator, but in reverse).

Alternatively, when you burn stuff to generate heat (like gas, oil, or wood), you are instead creating heat by converting matter to energy - so you can never get more than one unit of heat for each unit of energy you burn. Gas boilers in UK homes are only around 83% efficient, so for every 1 kWh of gas you put in, you get around 0.83kWh of heat out, which is 4x less efficient than a heat pump (3.33/0.83 = 4.1)

These are typical install efficiencies as seen from government funded studies of gas boilers and heat pumps installed in real homes. Our own installations are typically higher efficiency than the ones shown in this study.

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Indemnity Limit: £10 million

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