Switching from a gas boiler to a heat pump could save the average UK three-person household £465 a year*.
Try our calculator tool below to see potential savings ➔
* based on 11,500 kwh annual gas usage, and a heat pump running at 3.5 SCoP on OVO Heat Pump Plus tariff.
Ambient’s Cost Calculator tool, developed in collaboration with Jan Rosenow (Ambient Board Member and Energy Programme Lead at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford) allows users to input basic household data to receive estimated savings they could make by switching to a heat pump.
Cost is a major barrier to heat pump adoption. However, this tool shows that the superior efficiency of heat pump systems combined with availability of discounted electricity tariffs means that households could save on bills by electrifying their heating.
Using the Cost Calculator tool demonstrates that improving the performance of heat pump systems and increasing the proliferation and awareness of heat pump tariffs are critical areas for focus or interventions.
This tool can help the industry and policymakers to make better informed decisions, backed by data. If your organisation would like to host or partner on this tool, please contact our Policy & Public Affairs Officer George Stone at george@projectambient.org.
Terminology
SCoP (Seasonal Coefficient of Performance): A measure of the overall efficiency of a heat pump across an entire heating season.
Standing Charge: A daily fixed cost added to your energy bill, charged regardless of how much energy you use.
Energy Price Cap: A limit set by Ofgem on the maximum price suppliers can charge per unit of gas and electricity, as well as on the standing charge.
kWh (Kilowatt-hour): A measurement of energy use. Your electricity and gas usage on bills is typically shown in kWh.
Assumptions & References:
Share of gas used for cooking - 2% https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-consumption-in-the-uk
Minimum efficiency standard of 92% for new boilers - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63e25c96e90e076266ed429c/Improving_boiler_standards_and_efficiency_consultation.pdf
Cost of gas £/kWh - £0.0699 https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap
Gas Standing Charge - £119.24 https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap - We have assumed that households that switch to a heat pump will discontinue their gas supply, so both the gas consumption and standing charge are counted as savings.
Cost of electricity - Standard Tariff £/kWh £0.2703 https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap
Cost of electricity - Octopus Agile £/kWh £0.1983 - Average based on last month price data https://agile.octopushome.net/historical-data
Cost of electricity - Octopus Cosy £/kWh - £0.2009 https://www.octopriceuk.app/cosy
Cost of electricity - OVO Heat Pump Tariff £/kWh £0.15 https://www.ovoenergy.com/heat-pump-plus
Cost of electricity - Scottish Power Heat Pump Tariff £/kwh £0.14 (if running heat pump between 11am-4pm) https://www.scottishpower.co.uk/heat-pump-tariff
Unique terms and conditions apply for all energy tariffs
Average UK heat pump SCoP 2.8 https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/air-source-heat-pump-efficiency
Average gas and electricity usage https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/average-gas-and-electricity-usage