The Octopus unit uses propane as the refrigerant, hence it is capable of generating higher output temperature than many heat pumps.  Use of propane is a relatively recent development.

I can’t comment on what Octopus (my own supplier) are offering, as we’ve currently decided not to go down that route.
Much of the advantages may be lost on us in a large house with 30 year old insulation standards.
We currently use a mains gas boiler system, with one additional gas fire, so may well have come to a different conclusion if we were on propane or oil.

This article by Dale Vince’s group may give further food for thought; he’s not against heat pumps themselves by the way.

https://dalevince.com/reports/the-cold-hard-facts-about-heat-pumps

Bill

Do keep us informed if you go ahead. I see endless ‘offers’ of £7k grants so maybe they are upping the ante – or pretending to.

<interrupt> at this point while writing my reply I got a rare landline call which was a recorded message claiming to be from some power distribution company. Coincidence? Excuse me while I scan the house for hidden cameras.

I suspect the grant is dependant on you spending £30k on upgraded radiators, windows, insulation and a far bigger heat pump than necessary to mimic the output power of an overspec’ed gas boiler. All sourced from the contractors giving the biggest kickback to the heating consultant. (that job creation scheme Boris introduced after lockdown.)
We really all need to cut back to only heating one room to 68F max like we grew up with.

On 9 September 2026 at 14:33 peak4 Said:

 

This article by Dale Vince’s group may give further food for thought; he’s not against heat pumps themselves by the way.

https://dalevince.com/reports/the-cold-hard-facts-about-heat-pumps

Bill

Like most, Dale Vince (of Forest Green Rovers and a green electric company) has his agenda. However it does seem to be a well balanced and interesting article.

I doubt if I could get any grant for a heat pump or improving the insulation of my house. If I could get a grant to insulate the workshop …..

I have not seen advertised a dual air conditioning and heating heat pump yet. I am sure they have arrived or will come soon.

JA

On 9 September 2026 at 15:58 Michael Gilligan Said:

Special thanks to Bill for the link, from which I quote:

Heat pumps work best in homes that are:

Well insulated
Low heat-loss
Able to run low-temperature heating systems

 

Significantly … My little house currently fails every one of those criteria !

The project to upgrade it has only recently commenced

MichaelG.

Hi Michael,

Our house is a 74 years old Semi. We have insulation in the cavity, double glazed doors and windows, plus double the normal loft insulation. Our current gas boiler is doing fine.

The problem I have with the Heat Pump, although I am not dead against them. Is the amount of space required to house the ancillary equipment. Some of the installations I have seen on TV take up the size of our small bedroom or half the size of the Garage when it is close to the home. Mine is 30 metres away, and is the workshop, so currently hallowed ground.

While there is room in the attic some serious restructuring of the ceilings would be required. Being the same age as the house do I really want all the hassle, and invest money in something for someone else to benefit from?

Good luck with the choice,

Regards

Gray,

Just to note that the government 0% vat on heat pump installations expires March 31st next year. After that you pay 5% vat on them, so getting in before then will save you 5%.

To qualify you have to have the equipment both supplied and installed by the same person/company.

This also applies to permanent install air-con systems BTW.

I assume this is an air-water heat pump. The prime question is how hot the water is. Some systems require larger radiators and plumbing. If you have microbore pipework it may have to be replaced. The next question is how much will you have to pay on top of the grant?

Personally I went for air-air heat pumps in both my previous flat and current home. No grants but has the huge advantage of providing cooling as well as heating. That has been great over the last couple of months. Went for a multi-split system so only two outdoor units for 5 rooms. For some reason the installers were pushing for a 1:1 setup which is daft. We have a mix of gas and electric for water heating. Both on-demand so no stored hot water loosing energy and warming up the house in warm weather.

Robert.

Michael, I sent you a PM.