Air Source Heat Pump vs Biomass Boiler
The biggest competition - heat pumps and boilers. This article compares the properties of two home heating systems to find out which one stands out in a heat pump vs boiler face-off. Will it be a heat pump, the real new kid? Or the long-time defending champ, the boiler?
Let's find out.
Round 1: Installation Costs Installation
Costs depend on many factors - property size, installation type, make and model, and you should get multiple quotes for both in order to compare costs accurately. This YouGen blog suggests biomass installations start at £10,000. Air source heat pumps can be much less - around £4,000 (ground source heat pumps are much higher because the heat exchanger has to be buried in the ground). However, since heat pumps are most efficient when used in conjunction with underfloor heating, this can drive up costs significantly, especially in retrofits, bringing them on par with biomass.
Winner: New heat pump, biomass in standard retrofit.
Round 2: Operating Costs
Domestic biomass boilers usually use pellet fuel and heat pumps use electricity. Both are subject to the vagaries of the market. However, a comparison of domestic fuel prices by the Biomass Energy Centre claims that while wood pellets cost 4.1p/kWh (kWh), electricity costs closer to 15p/kWh. This is of course not all, as the efficiency of the system and the energy efficiency of the house must also be taken into account.
Assuming you choose an excellent, highly rated (on YouGen!) installer, the quality of your insulation is your next variable. While in a well-insulated house, a properly sized heat pump needs very little electricity to get up to temperature, the reality is that most properties fall short. That's not to say it's impossible, but if your insulation isn't great and you lack the will or the funds to upgrade it, your cheapest option is undoubtedly biomass.
Winner: Biomass, unless new or fully remodeled.
Round 3: Maintenance
When properly installed, heat pumps should be fairly maintenance-free, usually requiring only annual maintenance. A biomass boiler, as it is a combustion system, is arguably more prone to recurring problems, and choosing a good installer and a good manufacturer should help alleviate this.
Winner: Heat Pump, Just.
Round 4: Availability
This is a tough stage. Unless you're a tech wizard who likes to calculate overly complex programming systems, heat pumps require an engineer to program the flow temperature (the temperature of the water in the pipes). But once it's set up, if it's a well thought out system, you should be able to control the room temperature with the thermostat and zones.
The main game changer here is fuel. Unless you're using an automatic feeder, biomass boilers require manual loading of pellets into the hopper, which can be a problem if you're older and immobile (or a little lazy!). Additionally, biomass provides the near-instant, flick of a switch heat that most people who switch from oil or gas are familiar with. Heat pumps operate at a much lower flow temperature, which means they take longer to bring your house up to temperature. This shouldn't be a problem if you have a clever smart system installed, or keep it running at low temperatures all the time, but it may take some getting used to.
Winner: Biomass, if you're agile, or install an automatic feeder (which can be expensive), or need instant heat, if you're not, a heat pump.
Round 5: Save space
While heat pumps take up a bit more space internally than combustion boilers and require relatively less space for outdoor units, biomass boilers require more space. Beyond that, you need a (dry) space for fuel and a heat pump, especially in urban homes where space is at a premium, which is starting to look more appealing. Ground source heat pumps certainly require a large garden or the ability to dig deep trenches to be viable.
Winner: biomass where space isn't an issue, otherwise heat pump (as long as your insulation meets the requirements)
Round 6: Government Incentives
The rapid growth of the biomass market is partly (or entirely depending on who you talk to) due to the fact that biomass is more attractive with renewable thermal incentives. Electricity prices for air source heat pumps are currently 7.3p/kWh, compared to 10.98p/kWh for biomass boilers (18.8p/kWh for ground source heat pumps and water source heat pumps to offset much higher installation costs). From April 1, 2015, biomass power generation for all new applications will drop further to 8.93p/kWh, so if you're thinking about it, now is the time to act.
Winner: Biomass, currently, but that may change in the future.
Round 7: Saving Energy
Heat pumps use electricity to run, and will use more electricity in very cold weather, when they can't extract enough heat from the air (ironically, when you need them most). While this doesn't always result in cheap bills (see 2 above), if you buy electricity from a green supplier like Ecotricity, you can still claim your system is carbon neutral.
The biomass industry has long claimed that biomass heat is close to zero carbon. But this will only happen if the pellets are sustainably sourced (from forests with strong replanting programmes), produced and transported. The campaign group Biofuelwatch claims that even if the government's biomass sustainability standards come into effect next month (April 2015), it is far from clear whether biomass can rightly claim to be carbon neutral.
Winner: This is a hotly debated topic, and it's hard to say. If you are confident in your pellet supply, then biomass. A heat pump is also a good option if you're only buying green electricity.
In conclusion
If you're in an urban area where space is at a premium, or you're older and don't want to load pellets manually, you should consider a heat pump. However, this should only be done if your home has the highest level of insulation, or if you are prepared to take on the cost of upgrades and upheaval. In all other cases, especially if you have adequate storage space and a good ongoing warranty and maintenance schedule, or if you are not prepared to adapt to new heating methods that keep your system running, biomass may be a more attractive option.
Contact us
If you want to install a heat pump or biomass boiler or learn more about these systems, contact Leomon today!
