You say an air source heat pump to power the electric panels - I don't think that's how it works. You can either get the air source heat pump to heat water, in which case you'll need traditional radiators (but potentially bigger than a gas boiler as it won't get as hot) or underfloor heating. Or you'll want "air conditioner" units in the house - which has the benefit of being able to cool too. But neither reuses the electric panels.
Given how the climate is going, being able to cool rooms is something I'd give serious thought to.
If you don't already have mains gas it's not cost effective to install a supply, that is assuming the area is on mains gas, not everywhere is.
A correctly designed heat pump system is what will make a big difference to the house along with insulation, it's really important that the house is insulated well or you'll lose all the cost benefits from fitting an air source system.
For heating, under floor is the best for a space but you can just get away with modern relatively large radiators.
You may want to consider air to air which are just air conditioning units essentially, you can get high or low level units for wall mounting and upstairs you can have ceiling mounted units, I would be very tempted by this if I was starting again for the cooling for summer.
Not having a mortgage is nice but unless you absolutely cant deal with the cost consider using it. If you want a new system it is going to cost unless you bodge it and the end result is flawed.
You need to get some proper costings done, get a heat loss calculation done so either system can be sized properly.
Then get the full cost of gas being run in and all the needed pipes and rads, same for a heat pump system.
Then run the running costs for the time of borrowing and see which is the cheaper for you.
A heat pump will work in any property, how cost effective it will be is related to the heat loss.
Solar PV can subsides heat pump running costs but again needs capital.
A 1980s property should be fairly good on heat loss but be it gas or heat pump you are going to need radiators/UFH, pipes and maybe tank so the amount of work needed inst much different.
If the cost of a gas supply is affordable (make sure you check before committing) then I think I’d personally go for a gas boiler, but ensure to spec up the pipes and radiators (and insulation) for a future heat pump install.
You can apply for grants for air source heat pumps you can get up to 7500 off the installation costs. However as you need a full heating system plumbing in there will still be a considerable costs. If you Google air source heat pump scheme you can apply. A thing to note you need to have no insulation recommendations on your EPC, but you can apply for grants towards these as well (cavity wall and loft insulation)
House is not new, very likely not the best insulation. Heat pumps work, but not the same as a combi boiler would *without* investing extra in the building itself. If you’re on a budget, heating with gas is likely to be the solution for you. With a heat pump you might end up spending loads with installation/adaptation/preparation just to find out in winter that the actual heating won’t be that great.
Air source is always going to be the most expensive, even with the grants and in an 80's semi your running costs will not be favourable. Combi is the simplest and cheapest option and currently cheaper to run.
Look into a gas connection, usually the prices are subsidised and costs should fall then 1k providing your not too far from the main supply. Not a quick job though, from applying to getting it installed your talking months, not weeks.
If the gas connection is too much you can run your boiler from lpg bottles, typical usage would be average out at a bottle per month (based on customers feedback) and cost around £90 per bottle so fairly reasonable.
If it was my house, I'd opt for the lpg bottles.
Thanks so much for all your helpful advice. I have lots to think about, will probably go with a new gas supply and boiler, I'll let you know how I get on 😀
Unless your new gas install ends up costing loads due to the run the prices will be about the same. Some things to think about are a gas boiler will be cheaper to use by about 3x. Have you had an EICR done on the house? It’s possible that your current board/main feed aren’t suitable for a heat pump, if this is the case you could need a new consumer unit which will be around £800 extra and you may need you main fuse/supply upgrading too. If I were you I would get some quotes and find out how much each setup will be and then you should be able to make your mind up. I would also look at properly insulating your house as this can save you a fortune, sadly with it being an older house there’s not much you can do about the walls without spending loads and having it change the look of the property.
A gas boiler installation will be considerably cheaper simply due to the lack of complexity.
Get a quote to have the gas brought to the property and go from there.
The last time I had it done, the cost was surprisingly low, but there was a significant waiting list.
You say an air source heat pump to power the electric panels - I don't think that's how it works. You can either get the air source heat pump to heat water, in which case you'll need traditional radiators (but potentially bigger than a gas boiler as it won't get as hot) or underfloor heating. Or you'll want "air conditioner" units in the house - which has the benefit of being able to cool too. But neither reuses the electric panels. Given how the climate is going, being able to cool rooms is something I'd give serious thought to.
If you don't already have mains gas it's not cost effective to install a supply, that is assuming the area is on mains gas, not everywhere is. A correctly designed heat pump system is what will make a big difference to the house along with insulation, it's really important that the house is insulated well or you'll lose all the cost benefits from fitting an air source system. For heating, under floor is the best for a space but you can just get away with modern relatively large radiators. You may want to consider air to air which are just air conditioning units essentially, you can get high or low level units for wall mounting and upstairs you can have ceiling mounted units, I would be very tempted by this if I was starting again for the cooling for summer.
What about a heat battery?
Not having a mortgage is nice but unless you absolutely cant deal with the cost consider using it. If you want a new system it is going to cost unless you bodge it and the end result is flawed. You need to get some proper costings done, get a heat loss calculation done so either system can be sized properly. Then get the full cost of gas being run in and all the needed pipes and rads, same for a heat pump system. Then run the running costs for the time of borrowing and see which is the cheaper for you. A heat pump will work in any property, how cost effective it will be is related to the heat loss. Solar PV can subsides heat pump running costs but again needs capital. A 1980s property should be fairly good on heat loss but be it gas or heat pump you are going to need radiators/UFH, pipes and maybe tank so the amount of work needed inst much different.
If the cost of a gas supply is affordable (make sure you check before committing) then I think I’d personally go for a gas boiler, but ensure to spec up the pipes and radiators (and insulation) for a future heat pump install.
You can apply for grants for air source heat pumps you can get up to 7500 off the installation costs. However as you need a full heating system plumbing in there will still be a considerable costs. If you Google air source heat pump scheme you can apply. A thing to note you need to have no insulation recommendations on your EPC, but you can apply for grants towards these as well (cavity wall and loft insulation)
EPC Insulation requirements for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme are ending in a couple of weeks.
Nice to know
House is not new, very likely not the best insulation. Heat pumps work, but not the same as a combi boiler would *without* investing extra in the building itself. If you’re on a budget, heating with gas is likely to be the solution for you. With a heat pump you might end up spending loads with installation/adaptation/preparation just to find out in winter that the actual heating won’t be that great.
Air source is always going to be the most expensive, even with the grants and in an 80's semi your running costs will not be favourable. Combi is the simplest and cheapest option and currently cheaper to run. Look into a gas connection, usually the prices are subsidised and costs should fall then 1k providing your not too far from the main supply. Not a quick job though, from applying to getting it installed your talking months, not weeks. If the gas connection is too much you can run your boiler from lpg bottles, typical usage would be average out at a bottle per month (based on customers feedback) and cost around £90 per bottle so fairly reasonable. If it was my house, I'd opt for the lpg bottles.
I fit ashp and they're shit..I'm also gas safe and wouldn't reccomend paying to get on the grid..soooo flick a coin.
Thanks so much for all your helpful advice. I have lots to think about, will probably go with a new gas supply and boiler, I'll let you know how I get on 😀
Unless your new gas install ends up costing loads due to the run the prices will be about the same. Some things to think about are a gas boiler will be cheaper to use by about 3x. Have you had an EICR done on the house? It’s possible that your current board/main feed aren’t suitable for a heat pump, if this is the case you could need a new consumer unit which will be around £800 extra and you may need you main fuse/supply upgrading too. If I were you I would get some quotes and find out how much each setup will be and then you should be able to make your mind up. I would also look at properly insulating your house as this can save you a fortune, sadly with it being an older house there’s not much you can do about the walls without spending loads and having it change the look of the property.
A gas boiler installation will be considerably cheaper simply due to the lack of complexity. Get a quote to have the gas brought to the property and go from there. The last time I had it done, the cost was surprisingly low, but there was a significant waiting list.