Heat pump in a new build
Well insulated, airtight, and low heat demand — the ideal heat pump candidate. Post-2027 new builds will have one fitted as standard under the Future Homes Standard.
With the radiators as they are
Saves £135
a year · radiators upgraded for a heat pump
With upgraded radiators
Saves £135
a year · SCOP 3.4
What to do first
If your new build still has a gas boiler, a heat pump swap will work well when the boiler dies. The fabric is already doing the hard part.
Upgrading the radiators is worth about £0 a year in this house — which is the difference between a heat pump being a good idea and a questionable one.
The numbers behind that
- Typical gas use for this kind of house: about 7,000 kWh a year.
- That is roughly 6,300 kWh of actual heat, once boiler losses are taken off.
- A heat pump on the existing radiators would use about 1,853 kWh of electricity to deliver it.
- Break-even electricity price: 33.41p per kWh. The cap is currently 26.11p.
If your break-even price is above the price you actually pay, the heat pump wins. If it is below, it does not — and no amount of enthusiasm changes that arithmetic. A dedicated heat pump tariff can move your real price down enough to flip it.