Heat Pumps April, 2025

Air Source Heat Pumps vs Gas Boilers

The UK Government is pushing homeowners to phase out gas boilers, instead favouring new, hyper efficient air source heat pumps. But before you upgrade your home and take advantage of the cash incentives, there are a few things you need to consider, including cost, efficiency, carbon footprint and more.

To help, we’ve put together this handy guide on air source heat pumps vs gas boilers. Find out the pros and cons of each and find answers to key questions.

To save £7,500 on your air source heat pump installation, book a free consultation with the team at Rollings Renewables by calling 01905 621777 now.

Table of Contents

Air Source Heat Pump Overview

Air source heat pumps are an alternative heating method endorsed by the government. They cleverly extract warmth from the air outside – even on cold days – and use it to heat your home.

Air source heat pumps work a bit like a fridge in reverse. They extract heat from the air outside – even when it feels cold – and transfer it into your home. The system uses a liquid refrigerant that absorbs warmth from the air. This refrigerant is then compressed, which raises its temperature. The resulting heat is transferred into your home via a water-based system that’s usually connected to radiators, underfloor heating or your hot water tank.

Instead of using gas, air source heat pumps run entirely on electricity, meaning that provided the electricity is renewable, they can be operated entirely carbon-free. They’re also far more efficient than boilers, which are typically about 90% efficient, whereas heat pumps can offer energy efficiency of up to 380%.

Advantages of Heat Pumps

When it comes to air source heat pumps vs gas boilers, heat pumps can have significant advantages over the competition.

Cost

In some cases, if your home is well insulated, it’s possible to pay less than £1,000 for an air source heat pump installation. The government is currently offering quite considerable grants to encourage people to upgrade, which cover as much as £7,500 of the cost of your installation – or £9,000 if you qualify for the rural uplift. If eligible, this brings down your upfront costs significantly.

Provided your home is well insulated and you’re on a competitive energy tariff, it’s also possible to save money on your long-term costs. As heat pumps are far more efficient than gas boilers, they can be cheaper to run. Heat pumps have long lifespans too and can last as much as 20 years before they need to be replaced.

Efficiency

Air source heat pumps function by drawing warmth from the ambient air and, in the right conditions, can deliver significant energy savings when heating your home.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, “With a heat pump, for every unit of electricity you use, you can get three to four times as much heat (300 to 400%) in return. An A-rated boiler should convert 90% of its fuel into usable heat—meaning some of what you pay for is lost. That’s why a heat pump can be a much more efficient way to heat your home.”

This extremely high energy efficiency means you could reduce your electricity bill as well as your environmental footprint, especially if your heat pump is run on renewable electricity.

Carbon Footprint

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that the average three-bed home in the UK could save as much as 1,900 kg of CO² every year by switching from a new, A-rated gas boiler to an air source heat pump. This figure rises to as much as 7,600 kg per year for those using more traditional heating methods such as coal or older gas boilers.

The main benefit of heat pumps and the reason that the government is so keen to have people adopt them, is that they’re so incredibly efficient. They consume such a small amount of energy for the level of heat they generate, making them far more environmentally friendly. Better yet, as we’ve already mentioned, they can even be run with no carbon footprint by supplying them with renewable energy.

For the environmentally conscious, it’s hard to get better than an air source heat pump.

Heat Pump Advantages Compared with a Gas Boiler

Comparatively, gas boilers are far less efficient, sometimes more expensive to run and have a much higher carbon footprint.

A gas boiler will be more energy-hungry than a heat pump, which could cost you more in bills in the long run. Additionally, gas boilers have shorter lifespans than heat pumps, meaning you’ll need to replace them more often, which, at a cost of up to £5,000, is a considerable expense. You can also expect to spend more on maintaining a gas boiler, with more moving parts meaning they need servicing and repairs much more often.

Boilers convert around 90% of gas energy into usable heat, while heat pumps can generate 3 to 4 times more heat than the electricity they consume, making them significantly more energy-efficient overall. This makes boilers potentially more expensive to run and raises their environmental impact by a long way.

Even the newest, most efficient gas boilers, which must now be a minimum of 90% efficient, produce almost 2,000 kg more CO² per year than an air source heat pump. It’s this relatively high carbon footprint that’s encouraging the government to favour heat pumps instead, in order to help the UK meet its 2050 net-zero emissions target.

Air Source Heat Pump vs Gas Boiler – Making Your Choice

So, let’s get down to it, air source heat pumps vs gas boilers, here are some quick comparisons to help you make your choice including upfront cost, installation process, lifespan, maintenance and more.

Heat Pump Installation Process

The process of installing a heat pump can be more complex than installing a gas boiler and can take longer, although this will depend to some extent on how well insulated your home already is. Heat pumps are most effective in well insulated properties and require larger radiators and a water storage tank to operate.

If your home doesn’t already feature insulation throughout, this will need to be fitted, along with the upgraded radiators, water tank and heat pump itself. This means the process can be a little more disruptive to your home, taking up to a week to complete, so it’s best done in summer. But because the pump will last up to 20 years, these are short-term effects for a long-term gain.

Gas Boiler Installation Process

Given that most homes in the UK already feature a gas boiler-driven central heating system, installation is typically quite quick, usually taking no longer than a day to complete. However, installing a heat pump is a permanent upgrade to your property’s infrastructure and can provide extensive long-term benefits, including potential reductions in your energy bill, more consistent heating and a massively minimised carbon footprint.

Upfront Costs

Because a heat pump installation involves more extensive changes to your home, it can be more expensive upfront. An average gas boiler installation ranges from around £1,700 to as much as £5,000, while heat pump fitting can vary from roughly £10,000 to more than £20,000, including the modifications needed. However, the government is offering a £7,500 grant towards the cost of heat pump installation, meaning that you could pay as little as £3,500, or possibly even less if your home is already suitably equipped.

Lifespan

When it comes to air source heat pumps vs gas boilers, there’s a large difference in expected lifespans. A gas boiler can be expected to last between 10 and 15 years, depending on usage, maintenance and quality. A heat pump, however, can last in excess of 20 years, making it a longer-term investment in your home.

Maintenance

Boilers have a number of moving parts as well as various filters, all of which wear out and need replacing at regular intervals. They need routine servicing to prevent breakdowns and help them maintain their efficiency.

Air source heat pumps on the other hand have fewer wear-prone components, meaning they break down very infrequently and require yearly servicing to maintain their long lifespans. It’s still good practice to have heat pumps serviced once a year, but this will be far less costly and time-consuming than boiler servicing.

Temperature Control

In most homes, temperature is controlled via a thermostat, which switches the boiler on or off depending on the current vs target temperature indoors. Heat pumps are controlled in exactly the same way, making this stage of the installation easy to integrate with your existing temperature controls.

Although you may decide that upgrading to a heat pump is the perfect time to upgrade your thermostat too, as many more modern systems allow for even greater energy efficiency.

Air Source Heat Pumps or Gas Boiler? Your Questions Explained

Are Heat Pumps Popular In The UK?

Thanks to potential cost savings, reduced environmental impacts and generous government grants, heat pump adoption rates in the UK are on the rise. Between 2022 and 2024, Ofgem reported an 84% rise in the applications for heat pump grants, and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme indicates that 250,000 heat pumps had been installed in the UK as of summer 2024.

Are Gas Boilers Being Phased Out?

The government had planned to ban gas boilers by 2035 but has since changed direction. However, there are increasingly strict standards for home energy efficiency that are likely to make heat pumps more and more attractive to homeowners, buyers and builders moving forwards.

Do You Need a Water Tank with a Heat Pump?

Yes. Because heat pumps can’t instantly heat water like a gas boiler, they instead gradually heat a tank of water which is stored within your property, giving you instant access to a reservoir of hot water whenever you need it.

Are Heat Pumps Better Than Gas Boilers for EPC Ratings?

In many cases, yes. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are calculated based on the cost to provide a home with light, heat and water, so the lower the cost to heat the home, the better the EPC. Heat pumps consume far less energy, they can be cheaper to run, although this depends on how well insulated your home is and the energy tariff you’re on. Because the cost of electricity is relatively high at the moment, installing a heat pump in a poorly insulated home could have the opposite effect, so make sure to consider your home’s insulation beforehand and make any necessary upgrades.

So, Is A Heat Pump Better Than A Gas Boiler?

Objectively, the answer is yes. In the debate of air source heat pumps vs gas boilers, heat pumps win. Heat pumps are far more efficient than gas boilers, consume less energy, can be powered by renewable electricity, last longer, provide more consistent heat and impact the environment far less.

However, they do come with a couple of caveats, including the need to upgrade your home’s insulation and radiators, as well as the current high cost of electricity. These are largely up-front or short-term issues though and heat pumps should be considered more of a long-term investment in the efficiency and environmental footprint of your home.

Additionally, while the government’s current Boiler Upgrade Scheme is quite generous, it is likely to come to a close at some point, in the same way that the initial electric vehicle scheme did. So, taking advantage of the funding while it’s available is financially sensible.

How Rollings Renewables Can Help with Heat Pump Installation

For more than 20 years, Rollings Renewables has been helping homeowners and businesses across the UK upgrade their heating and energy supplies. With a team of expert installers and access to some of the most advanced air source heat pumps available, we conduct a flawless installation at your premises. We ensure minimal disruption, efficient timeframes and high-quality workmanship. To book a FREE consultation, reach out to our team now by calling 01905 621777, emailing sales@rollingsrenewables.co.uk or filling out our contact form.

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