With the COP26 just around the corner, the UK press has been full of headlines and articles about the move away from gas boilers and replacing them with more renewable forms of energy such as
heat pumps.

We thought it was really important to cut through the hyperbole and get to the facts on how heating your home may change.

What is COP26?

Firstly, let’s talk about COP26 and what that’s all about. Between the 31 st October and the 12th
November, the United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held in Glasgow.

This conference is an international meeting to discuss climate change and the work that needs to
occur as a global effort to move towards carbon neutral and reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.

Almost every country on earth for the last 3 decades have been coming together to discuss what
needs to be done in order to accelerate action towards meeting world-wide climate change goals.

Rising Energy Bills

With this conference on the horizon, coupled with very real worries about rising energy bills and gas
price surges, it’s no wonder that the way in which we heat our homes has dominated the press
recently.

Just the other week we wrote about the pros and cons of electric boilers as a possible alternative to
gas boilers. Amid energy suppliers going bust and tariffs increasing, it’s no wonder people are
considering what the alternatives are to their gas boiler. Especially if you think it may need replacing
soon.

Are They Going to Take My Boiler?

Ahead of COP26, Boris Johnson has insisted that whilst it is clear as a nation we need to make
significant changes to how we heat our homes, the “Boiler Police are not going to kick in your door
with their sandal-clad feet and seize, at carrot-point, your trusty old combi.”

Well, that’s reassuring!

If you have a functioning gas boiler, or have recently installed a new one, no one is going to come
force you to remove it. Instead, it is being encouraged to consider the alternative, more renewable
options when it comes to replacing your boiler.

You can read more about the myths surrounding a ‘boiler ban’ in one of our previous blogs – When
Will Gas Boilers be Banned.

Instead, the government will aim to incentivise the possible alternatives to a gas boiler, especially if
you’re at a point where it needs to be replaced.

As this is something that tends to happen every 15 years, it would appear to make sense to try and
makes these changes to carbon-free options sooner rather than later.

What are the Alternatives to a Gas Boiler?

If you’ve been keeping up with the news, you’ll have probably read about heat pumps as an
alternative, more renewable source of home heating.

If you’ve researched this already, you’ll know that they can come with rather a hefty price tag. You
could be looking at a cost of between £4K and £20K depending on whether it’s a ground source or
air source heat pump, and how disruptive it is to install.

The good news, is that the government are going to make them more affordable by offering £5,000
grants towards heat pumps, bringing the cost down to be more comparable with a standard gas
boiler replacement.

If you are approaching a boiler replacement, it makes sense to consider whether going with a
cleaner, more efficient replacement could be an option for your home – Knowing that not only could
it lower your energy bills, but would also be helping the planet.

Of course, in order for this to be beneficial, what we pay for clean electricity to heat our homes
needs to be competitive with gas.

How Will Electric Prices Compete with Gas Prices?

As we’ve seen recently, the shortage of gas around the world has caused tariffs everywhere to rise.

The government hope that most of our electricity will soon be coming from wind farms in the North Sea or British nuclear reactors, so subsequently you as the consumer will not be subject to sudden
rises in tariffs and prices caused by global markets.

The plan is for a future where we can heat our homes with cheap, reliable power drawn from the
North Sea wind farms.

‘Green tech’ has long been deemed expensive and out of reach, but as with most technological
things – Like smart phones and flat TVs – We will get to a comfortable price point with clean heating.

Clean Heating with Aura Heating

Here at Aura Heating, we are ready to provide homes across the South Coast with clean heating.

If you are interested in using a heat pump to heat your property, we are here ready to install it.

As we mentioned above, there are grants available to help with the costs – Our friendly customer
service team are happy to talk this through with you and let you know the options.

We can also arrange for an engineer to come and look at your property to see whether a heat pump
would work for you and your home.

Expert Opinion

Our CEO Gary has over 15 years experience in the industry, with knowledge and professional advice
you can rely on.

Gary says

“My professional opinion is that the current technology doesn’t suit our housing stock.

I believe a hybrid approach is best for most of our customers. The heat pump would cover the vast
majority of the heating demand, with the existing Combi Boiler delivering the hot water as it
currently does.”

This provides a great compromise – Of ensuring that your heating needs are met, that costs are not
too high, and you are taking steps to help the environment through using renewable energy.

I Want to Know More About Heat Pumps

With all the hubbub about heat pumps, we don’t blame you for wanting to know more.

Keep your eyes peeled on our blog for our next update which will go into detail about the types of
heat pump, how they work, and the pros and cons compared with traditional heating methods.

In the meantime, if you’re considering replacing your boiler, give our team a call and we would be
happy to discuss your options.