Winter energy bills: why new build homes with heat pumps save money

As the cooler months get closer, many of us are thinking about the dreaded winter energy bill. Costs that were relatively stable across summer skyrocket as boilers switch on, heating runs for hours on end, and cosy electric fireplaces send your energy bill through the roof.

It’s no surprise, then, that as many as 2.3 million British households are aiming to avoid switching on their central heating this winter. But while considering when and how you use your heating is always sensible, there’s an easier way to reduce your energy costs: adopting the latest green technology.

At Brookworth, we know that a premium experience is about more than interior design and architectural style. It’s about the feeling of comfort that comes from an environment that feels warm and welcoming, without adding unnecessary expense. That’s why we invest in green technology throughout our developments, creating new build homes that are attractive to modern homebuyers at the cross-section and style, convenience and efficiency.

Market trends for sustainable housing

Driven by new regulations and demand from homebuyers, the UK housing sector is increasingly moving towards sustainability and low-carbon homes. With residential property accounting for 20% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, this is an area where the government, housing developers, and homeowners can have a huge impact.

What is sustainable housing?

A sustainable housing development is designed to minimise environmental impact. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including:

• Renewable energy sources like solar panels

• Supporting eco-friendly lifestyles, including EV charging points

• Alternative heat sources, including heat pumps

• Modern insultation including cavity wall beads

• Water-saving devices like leak detectors, low-flow taps, and water butts

The importance of energy efficient heating

Traditional gas boilers are inefficient – and needlessly expensive – in several ways. First, they consume gas to create heat, a process that emits harmful carbon dioxide into the environment. They also tend to let some heat escape through the flue, even in more modern condensing boilers. This leads to unnecessary expense and increased emissions.

One often overlooked area is water consumption. If your gas boiler is inefficient and slow to heat water, you may need to leave the tap running for a prolonged period to reach the temperature you want. This is something that can also be addressed with instant boiling water taps, including in Brookworth developments.

Understanding heat pumps

What are heat pumps?

Heat pumps are an alternative to your traditional boiler, using and intensifying the heat that’s already found in the ground or the air outside your home. They offer effective heating for your rooms and water, with significantly higher efficiency than a conventional boiler – the average home sees a 70% reduction in carbon emissions.

These efficiency gains – which lead to cost savings – make heat pumps a popular choice for discerning homeowners. In 2024, heat pump sales increased by 63%.

Types of heat pumps: air source vs. ground source

There are two main types of heat pumps: air source and ground source. They each work in different ways, although the biggest difference you’ll see is whether you need a visible outdoor unit or not.

An air source heat pump, located outside your home, captures heat from the surrounding air and transfers it to a refrigerant liquid. This liquid is then put under extreme pressure to increase its temperature, before it’s passed to water that circulates your wider heating and hot water system.

A ground source heat pump uses a similar process but extracts heat from a network of underground pipes. While this is often more energy efficient, it requires a more complex installation in the ground around your home.

How does an air source heat pump work in the cold?

Despite how you might feel wrapped up in a winter scarf, even the cold UK winters have some amount of heat in the air. Of course, this alone isn’t enough to heat your home. 

That’s where pressure becomes vital – in the winter, your air source heat pump will need to work a little harder to increase the temperature of the air it takes in. However, this is still significantly more efficient than a traditional fossil-fuel boiler.

The environmental benefits of heat pumps

Reducing your carbon footprint

Like your conventional boiler, a heat pump needs energy and, depending on where you source your electricity, that could mean some fossil fuel consumption. However, it’s an issue of efficiency – heat pumps produce 3-4 times more heat than gas boilers for every kilowatt of electricity they use.

As a result, switching to an air source heat pump can help reduce your carbon footprint. And, of course, if you also adopt renewable energy sources like solar panels, you can drive your emissions down even further.

Maximising your efficiency with a heat pump

While air source heat pumps are highly efficient, they thrive in the right context. When you combine heat pumps with other energy-saving technology, you unlock even more environmental benefits.

This is a big advantage of our ability to design homes with sustainability in mind and the environment considered in every decision. Alongside air source heat pumps, our developments include underfloor heating to evenly distribute heat, boiling water taps to reduce water waste, and innovative insulation to retain heat in the winter months. It’s a complete, connected approach that ensures a warm winter.

High seasonal coefficient of performance

Every heat pump is rated with a Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCoP): a measure of efficiency averaged across the year. As a baseline, every heat pump is likely to outperform a gas boiler on this metric – the best A-rated boiler will convert around 90% of its fuel into heat, meaning you waste some of the fuel you pay for.

In general, a SCoP above three offers fantastic efficiency, although some of the latest models offer SCoP ratings above five. At Brookworth, we use high-performing A+++ rated air source heat pumps throughout our developments, accompanied by underfloor heating and insultation that outperforms industry standards by 20%.

Efficiency that lasts with minimal maintenance

From defective parts to dirt, grime and limescale, it’s not unusual for even regularly serviced gas boilers to become less efficient over time. This is one of the reasons that traditional boilers have an estimated lifespan of 12-15 years at best, compared to 20-25 years with a heat pump.

In this sense, investing in an air source heat pump now is a good way to future-proof your home with equipment that’s easier to maintain and keep at its peak performance for years to come.

The financial benefits of heat pumps

How much do air source heat pumps cost?

If you’re a homeowner considering an air source heat pump, you’ll find that they’re fairly complex to install and more expensive than their gas-fuelled boiler counterparts. This could be up to £10,000 according to data from consumer group Which, or even higher for more intricate ground source installations.

However, this higher upfront cost could lead a serious reduction in energy consumption and your energy bills. 

Government incentives for heat pumps

The UK has a commitment to achieve net-zero by 2050, which will be partly driven by the adoption of more efficient heating sources. This has led to government incentives to help homeowners with the cost of installing a heat pump.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a grant that would cover part of your costs, up to £7,500. This is available to any property owner in England or Wales who is replacing a fossil fuel system (eg. oil, gas, electric or LPG) with a more efficient heat pump. This scheme replaces the Renewable Heat Incentive, which was available until March 2022.

Long-term cost savings on energy bills

Through increased efficiency and reduced fuel consumption, an air source heat pump can help drive your winter energy bills down.

According to data from MoneySavingExpert, an air source heat pump can save:

• £260 versus a gas boiler

• £700 versus electric storage heaters

• £65 versus an oil boiler

• £270 versus an LPG boiler

Maximising these savings means adapting your home to suit your air source heat pump, especially through effective double glazing, good insulation, and underfloor heating where appropriate to evenly distribute heat. These are all priorities throughout Brookworth developments, helping you reduce your energy bill by as much as possible.

Future proofing against rising energy costs

Adopting an energy efficient heat pump now is also a great way to plan for future energy costs. Over the past five years, the energy price cap has increased by 60%. And while energy prices may stabilise as renewable energy targets are met, the general shape of the graph will be upwards. By using less fuel, your air source heat pump will help you mitigate the impact of these increases.

A positive impact on home value

Beyond the long-term savings on your annual energy bill, installing an air source heat pump puts you ahead of the curve on what today’s homebuyers are looking for. You can increase your appeal to eco-conscious buyers by offering an energy efficient home that’s low on emissions – and that’s a powerful way to protect the value of your property over time.

As it stands, UK homebuyers are willing to pay more for the most sustainable properties. Over time and as adoption continues, sustainable features like heat pumps are moving from nice-to-have to essential.

The impact of a heat pump in a new build

Heat pumps promise significant fuel savings, reduced energy bills, and fewer carbon emissions, helping to protect not only your bank balance but the planet. However, it’s when the efficiency of a heat pump is combined with quality construction and intelligent design that the savings really start to stack up.

At Brookworth, we’re committed to being a responsible developer with an emphasis on sustainability. It’s something you’ll see across our developments, with A+++ rated air source heat pumps installed as standard at Gallica, Warren Grove and Braeburns alongside smart technology to help you monitor your heating and use it more efficiently. With the addition of underfloor heating, premium glazing, and high-performing insulation, we help discerning, eco-conscious homeowners reduce their impact – and their bills.

If you’d like to find more about the eco-friendly features of our homes, get in touch with our experienced sales teams.