Lock-In: Future of Heating

Our popular Expert Lock-In series returned this week and it was a big one! Here’s five things we learned on the night:

Fossil Fuels Are Going Underground

The UK government has laid down new standards to stop any new installation of fossil fuel boilers from 2025. The immediate effect of landlords who are involved in property development themselves is obvious, but the tone has also been set for the rest of the market as this is likely only the first step in moving toward a more carbon neutral United Kingdom.

Right now, gas central heating still rules the roost, but for prudent landlords now’s the time for private landlords to look into the viable sources of alternative heating for the future.

As Easy as EPC

For all landlords, a property’s EPC rating is currently a much-needed box to be ticked across their portfolios. It’s not only a legal requirement, but a key aspect in determining a property’s value later down the line.

Historically, EPC rating has always been a concern with electric heating as the input to output ratio has fallen short against that of traditional gas central heating. Nowadays, the efficiency of an Air Source Heat Pump’s refrigeration cycle will beat that of your typical gas or oil boiler. Add that to the fact that you’re drastically reducing your overall carbon output and you’re onto a better EPC rating every time!

A Meta Lock-In Moment

Over the past few years we’ve been banging the drum at LNPG about the importance of properly looking after your heating systems with regards to filters and chemicals.

How nice to be vindicated then when Jerry pulled out the statistic that the vast majority of callouts to Air Source Heat Pump systems, just like with traditional gas boilers, are due to the build up of ferrous material in the system.

Check out our previous Lock-In with Adey to see how easy this problem is to avoid.

It’s All in the Pipework

It’s a common assumption, held even by some of us here at LNPG at the beginning of the week, that retrofitting an Air Source or Ground Source Heat Pump will mean ripping out and replacing all of your property’s pipework and radiators – an added cost in time and money for any landlord.

But the good news is that for the most part, this isn’t the case. With some exceptions (microbore pipework being the primary offender) your standard GCH system pipework and radiators will thrive under the change.

If You’re Not on the List, You’re Not Getting In…

Another unhelpful assumption regarding Air Source Heat Pumps in particular is that you must be an F Gas registered installer to even purchase one in the first place.

In reality this is only the case for split systems where the refrigeration pipework itself is needed from the inside to the outside of the property (and vice versa). Monobloc systems where the entire refrigerant cycle sits in one place outside the property can be purchased without needing to show off any F Gas credentials.

For now, the efficiency and low installation costs of gas and oil boilers mean they’re going nowhere, but with changes in legislation in the future, this won’t always be the case.

And that’s your lot! You can learn more about Wolseley here.