Inside five homes for sale with air source heat pumps: You don’t have to own an off-grid home to get one, as these properties show
- Inside five homes for sale online with eco-friendly and energy efficient features
- Each of the five properties boast recently installed air source heat pumps
- One home also includes a mvhr system that provides fresh filtered air
The concept of swapping your gas boiler for an eco-friendly air source heat pump to help meet new Government targets may feel like a serious challenge.
But while mention of heat pumps may conjure up images of off-grid, unusual eco-homes more suited to an episode of Grand Designs than ordinary household life, that doesn’t have to be the case.
As these properties for sale show, there are many homes that don’t shout about their green credentials but have air source heat pumps. One home also includes a mvhr – mechanical ventilation with heat recovery – system, which provides fresh filtered air.
We take a look at five homes for sale where air source heat pumps have been installed – and explain below how the systems work.
An air source heat pump looks like an air conditioning unit on the outside of buildings, and it works a bit like a fridge in reverse, using electricity to extract energy from the outside air to provide heating and hot water for homes
While the building works around such a swap from a gas boiler to a heat pump may be disruptive enough, for most people, the challenge will centre on the cost – which can run into thousands of pounds.
While doing the right thing for the planet is desirable, the harsh reality is that it may not be financially possible for some households – even with any grants.
That may be the reason that some house hunters – having already decided to buy a new home anyway – will be looking for a new home with air source heat pumps already installed.
Five homes with air source heat pumps…
1. Five-bed house, York, £795k
This detached house in the village of Huby in York was built only four years ago and is now for sale for £795,000 via estate agents Emsley Mavor
The energy efficient home uses an air source heat pump for its central heating and underfloor heating
This detached house in the village of Huby in York was built only four years ago and includes central heating and underfloor heating that relies on an air source heat pump.
The family home extends across three floors and has five bedrooms, as well as a separate study.
The property is on the market for £795,000 via estate agents Emsley Mavor.
2. Three-bed house, West Sussex, £775k
This new home in the village of Angmering, West Sussex, is on the market for £775,000 and is being sold by Henry Adams estate agents
The house uses an air source heat pump and a mvhr – mechanical ventilation with heat recovery – system
This new home is in a development of only 18 properties in the village of Angmering, which is in West Sussex on the southern edge of the South Downs National Park.
It has an air source heat pump, as well as a mvhr – mechanical ventilation with heat recovery – system, which provides fresh filtered air while retaining most of the energy that has already been used in heating the property.
The three-bedroom property has a price tag of £775,000 and is being sold via Henry Adams estate agents.
This three-bedroom cottage is in Anglesey, North Wales, and boasts stunning countryside views towards Snowdonia.
It has recently been double glazed and has an energy efficient air source pump central heating system.
The property is for sale for £500,000 via Beresford Adams estate agents.
4. Four-bed semi-detached, East Grinstead, £550k
This semi-detached house in the village of West Hoathly , West Sussex, is for £550,000 and is being sold by Mayhew Estates
The property has undergone a complete transformation and now includes an air source heat pump system
This property proves you don’t always have to opt for a new build if you want environmentally features.
The semi-detached house in the village of West Hoathly, in West Sussex, has undergone a complete transformation and now includes an air source heat pump system. The family home is on the market for £550,000 and is being sold by Mayhew Estates.
5. Four-bed house, Sutherland, £795k
This bungalow is in a hamlet called Little Rogart, a small community close to the east coast of Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands
The property now includes an air source heat pump and it is on the market for £185,000
This bungalow is in a hamlet called Little Rogart, a small community close to the east coast of Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands.
It has four bedrooms, and an air source heat pump has recently been installed. It is being sold by Monster Moves estate agents for £185,000.
Why heat pumps are more efficient
An air source heat pump looks like an air conditioning unit on the outside of a building, and it works a bit like a fridge in reverse, using electricity to extract energy from the outside air to provide heating and hot water for homes.
The air source heat pump systems see an air-to-water heat pump transfer heat from the outside air to water. There are also heat pumps that draw energy from the ground or water.
This then heats radiators and can even provide underfloor heating. It can also heat water stored in a hot water cylinder for hot taps, showers and baths.
Because they are extracting heat from the environment – which they can do even at low outside temperatures – they produce around three times the energy they use, making them much more efficient than a gas boiler.
As British electricity is increasingly powered by low carbon sources such as wind, this makes heat pumps a cleaner alternative to burning gas. They also cut local air pollutants emitted by boilers such as nitrogen dioxide.
The unit makes a humming noise, but when you are operating the heat pump to heat your home, you are likely to be in the house with the doors and windows shut as it is cold.
Families will be encouraged to install low-carbon systems from April with £5,000 grants, costing taxpayers in England and Wales at least £450million.
But the funding will cover only 90,000 heat pump installations over three years – far short of Boris Johnson’s goal of 600,000 a year by 2028.
Daniel Copley, of Zoopla, said: ‘It’s likely there will be a renewed focus on heat pumps following the Government’s announcement of £5,000 grants to help households cover the cost of installation.
‘Heat pumps offer a broad range of benefits, including a reduction in energy costs, but it’s worth bearing in mind that they’re not entirely carbon neutral and can require ongoing maintenance.’
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