On 18/05/2021 19:30, Theo wrote:
Steve Walker wrote:
Not really when modern condensing boilers are up to 94% efficient -
which is significantly better than even combined cycle generators ...
and that's before transmission losses of around 20%.

It's hard to beat heat pump efficiency of 200-400%, even with transmission
losses.

Oh indeed. However, they are bloody expensive to buy and install,
require changes to radiators or a switch to underfloor heating (with all
the cost and disruption of that) and the improved efficiency only brings
the cost of running them down to roughly that of a gas boiler, so it
will never pay for itself. So loads of up-front cost and disruption and
the bills stay just as high.

How many householders would actually be able to afford to replace a
failed gas boiler with a heat pump, at many times the cost, at zero
notice? How many people would like to be without heating and hot water
for weeks, mid-winter, while everything else was changed? Yes
installation could be done faster, but not with fitting under-floor
heating and new power cabling to the heat-pump, while still living in
the house and trying to install it neatly.