Ready for a Warmer Home and Lower Bills?
How many kWh does a heat pump use per year?
The kWh (electricity) use of a heat pump varies widely depending on:
- Size of the home
- Insulation level (HLI)
- Thermostat temperature
- Quality of the heat pump
- Heat pump system design
The last one is particularly important, with a good design saving you hundreds of euros per year on energy bills through higher efficiency.
In general, though, heat pumps in Irish houses can typically consume anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 kWh per year. A heat pump in a typical 3-bedroom semi-d with adequate insulation would use around 3,300 kWh per year to maintain a comfortable temperature 24-7 year-round.
How much does it cost to run a heat pump in Ireland?
As with electricity usage, heat pumps have a wide range of running costs, with anywhere from €200 – €4,500 being possible for Irish houses. The amount for a typical 3-bed semi-d with adequate insulation would be around €1,000 per year.
Remember, this is for year-round 24-7 comfortable temperatures. When comparing to the cost of heating with oil or gas, consider the cost to keep your home cosy around the clock with those fuels.
Are heat pumps cheaper to run than gas/oil?
In Ireland, heat pumps are cheaper to run than gas or oil, provided you have a well-designed and installed system in a house with reasonable insulation. While the exact saving varies from year to year, you can typically expect a heat pump to be around 40% cheaper to run than oil or gas.
For more detail, use our heat pump vs oil running cost calculator or heat pump vs gas running cost calculator.
Air-source vs ground-source heat pump running costs
Ground-source heat pump are significantly more expensive to install than air-source heat pumps. However, they’re typically a little more efficient than air-source heat pumps. This can result in energy and running cost savings of around 10-15%.
But in the mild Irish climate, air-source vs ground-source is much less important than other factors like flow temperature, workmanship, and quality of the hardware. A well-installed, high-quality air-source heat pump beats a poorly-installed ground-source heat pump every time.
What is the cheapest way to run a heat pump?
Here are some tips to run your heat pump in the lowest-cost way. Together, they can save you hundreds of Euro per year.
- Keep your heat pump on consistently: Heat pumps are different to oil and gas. You should keep them running consistently, not only in the evening, for maximum efficiency
- Turn your thermostat down: The World Health Organisation advise that 18 °C is a safe and well-balanced indoor temperature in cold and temperate climates
- Use nighttime setback temperatures: Program your heat pump controller to run a few degrees cooler overnight
- Insulate your home: Do this first, before installing a heat pump. Or get a contractor who will provide you with both a heat pump and insulation upgrades in one go.
- Go solar: Solar panels generate electricity and can help power your heat pump
- Compare electricity tariffs for heat pumps: Use Kilowatt.ie for an electricity price comparison that accounts for your heat pump.
- Use a high-quality heat pump: Efficiency varies among heat pump brands in Ireland. The most efficient heat pumps have a higher upfront price, but can cost less over the long run. Look for a SCOP score over 4.2
- Make sure the system is carefully designed: Even the best heat pump won’t run efficiently if it’s not well set up. And here’s the problem. Lots of them aren’t. So if you only make sure of one thing when choosing a heat pump installer, make sure they know enough to design the system correctly, or partner with someone who does.
Experiment with our the calculator above to see the difference that system efficiency makes for yourself.
Heat pump servicing costs
Heat pumps cost around €70 per year for servicing. This is about the same as the ~€80 cost for an oil boiler’s annual servicing cost, or the ~€90 for a gas boiler service.
