Green Homes Network

When John and Laura Gormley moved to their new home in Balfron in March 2016, they decided to use the opportunity to lower their carbon footprint.

The first thing the couple decided to do was to switch their energy bills to a green energy company. In 2018, after much research, John and Laura also decided to replace one of their cars for an electric vehicle (EV).

Getting expert and impartial advice

When their gas boiler stopped working in 2019, John says “we wanted a greener solution. We did lots of research on the internet and once we found out about heat pumps and how efficient they were, [installing a heat pump] was an obvious choice. Through our internet research we also found out about Home Energy Scotland who could offer advice and provide loans.”

The Gormleys contacted Home Energy Scotland, a free and impartial advice service funded by the Scottish Government, for advice on a new heating system. An advisor visited their home and gave them a tailored report outlining options and improvements they could make.

Installing an air source heat pump and solar panels

The Gormleys decided to switch their gas boiler for an air source heat pump and install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof too.

John and Laura used the Micro Certification Scheme (MCS) website to find accredited installers. They made sure to get multiple quotes before deciding on their chosen installer and chose to go with the installer offering the least disruptive process of installing.

John says there were some challenges installing the new heat pump (an 8.5kW Mitsubishi Ecodan). He says that because of the house’s design, “we opted not to replace the pipework along with the radiators. This resulted in one radiator struggling to heat up, although this was a problem before we had the heat pump. The solution was to add an extra pump to pull the water through the system.

“The other challenge we encountered was replacing the existing hot water unit. The house builder had built the cupboard around the unit which meant we couldn’t get it out without removing the wall to the cupboard! However, this would have been an issue with any new hot water unit needing to be installed.”

The heat pump installation took three days to complete, plus one morning for a return visit to install the additional pump. John was pleased that “the installation came in exactly for the price quoted and the extra pump was thrown in for no additional cost.”

In total, it took around six months from the Home Energy Scotland advisor’s visit to completing installation.

Saving money on energy bills

Before installing the heat pump and solar panels, John and Laura were paying around £150 a month for gas and electricity and £250 on diesel and petrol for their cars. After installation their total monthly energy bills reduced to around £180 a month (at October 2020) including the electricity used to charge their EVs.

The Gormleys applied for an interest-free Home Energy Scotland Loan to cover most of the installation costs. Their loan repayments are an additional £100 a month (payable for 12 years). The couple also receive £330 each quarter from the Renewable Heat Incentive (now closed to new applicants) and feed-in tariff payments too (£247 in 2021-2022, also closed to new applicants).

John says that “our energy bills went down initially, although in recent months [because of rising energy prices] they have bounced back to where they were before. Overall, however, the heat pump has saved us money and the whole mix of energy saving measures we made has significantly reduced our outgoings.”

As well as saving money and energy, the Gormleys have also benefited from their home being a comfortable temperature all year round. John says the effect has been noticeable: “our house now has a constant even temperature - gone are the excessive highs and lows".

John and Laura feel that their investment has worthwhile. They say that “we have drastically cut our carbon footprint and, as energy and petrol prices keep going up, our renewables systems are keeping our costs down.”

Making more changes to be fossil-fuel free

The couple soon switched their gas hob for an induction hob and replaced their second car with another EV, becoming officially fossil fuel free in late 2019. Installing zonal heating controls has also helped them to reduce the amount of energy they use.

John and Laura’s advice for others considering installing a heat pump is “get in touch with Home Energy Scotland for advice. Do your research, get multiple quotations, and take your time. You can’t get a heat pump overnight but once you have one, you’ll wonder why you didn’t get one sooner.”

Feeling inspired?

If you too want to research different types of renewable technologies, our Home Renewables Selector will help you discover your options and calculate your savings. You can also use the Renewables Installer Finder to find accredited installers in your area.