Mark Tiller, 59, a trained plumber who now works as a bathroom salesman, inherited a three-bedroom house in the village of Rendlesham, Suffolk, after his father died two and a half years ago. He moved in with his wife Lynne, 57, and daughter Aimee, 21, to find the property was served by a 1,200-litre oil tank in the garden.
Wanting a cheaper, greener alternative, he opted for an air-source heat pump. He told the Daily Express: "I'm glad I did it, given the price of oil from the crisis in Iran. Price was my primary reason. But I like the green element too."
Saving around £36 a month
Since the heat pump was completed last August, his average energy bill has been about £90 a month - roughly £36 less than when he heated with oil. That works out at around £1,080 a year, compared with approximately £1,512 before the switch.
The price of heating oil more than doubled after hostilities in the Middle East erupted on February 28. Before the conflict, the average price was 60p to 68p per litre, but it peaked at over £1.28 per litre as the Strait of Hormuz trade route shut down.
Installation and grant
Tiller first enquired about a heat pump in May. A surveyor then visited to check the home's eligibility, examining the flow rate of the pipework, the radiators' compatibility and the best place for the unit. Octopus Energy oversaw the installation, which cost about £11,300. A £7,500 grant from the Government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme covered part of the cost, with Tiller paying the remainder.
He admitted he was initially sceptical about heat pumps, which draw heat from the air, ground or water, raise its temperature and transfer it to the central heating system. Heat pumps have proven controversial for some because of high upfront costs, political debate over green energy mandates and the expense of electricity compared with gas. Tiller's concerns stemmed from scare stories about having to replace pipework and needing extensive work. "That was not the case for me. It was very well managed from the start and that gave me a lot of confidence," he said.
A different kind of heat
He had worried that the 1.2m x 45cm x 1m Daikin-made pump would be noisy, but found it produced only a "low hum". "It's a more comfortable heat. It's not been an issue that it's not been warm enough. It's just a completely different way of heating the home... I have no regrets at all," he said. Tiller said he is now looking into installing solar panels so he is completely free from shifts in global energy prices.
Switch from oil and LPG
Octopus Energy said it has received around 550,000 heat pump enquiries over the past year and installed thousands across the UK, though it would not provide an exact installation figure for commercial reasons. The company said nearly 1.7 million UK households rely on oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), leaving them "highly exposed" to global supply shocks and price spikes. It argued that nine in 10 households already have the insulation and electrical capacity required to switch to a heat pump.
According to Nesta figures published in April, a typical oil boiler household can save around £650 a year on running costs. Ministers later that month announced an uplift to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for households on heating oil and LPG, raising it from £7,500 to £9,000 in England and Wales. Rural homes in Scotland already receive a £9,000 subsidy.
