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Can a Heat Pump Replace a Boiler? (Read This First!)

The heat pump is an excellent home appliance that can keep your house hot and cool simultaneously. It will work as the coolant system in summer, and in winter, it will warm your house. You can install it like the air-conditioner outside the home.

The heat pump will work as the perfect coolant system for your house. You can use it both ways and get the optimum service. So, investing in a heat pump is an excellent choice for homeowners.

Can a heat pump replace a boiler?

A heat pump can replace a boiler efficiently. You will get three times better efficiency than the boiler, but the cost might be high because of the electric flow. You will use electricity instead of gas. However, replacing a boiler with a heat pump is a lengthy process.

Although you can replace your gas boiler with the heat pump, you must know how to do it with the other boiler. Here, we come with three different boilers that the heat pump can replace. You can easily replace some but not all. 

If you plan to replace every boiler, you will face challenges. You have to prepare the heat pump to use as the boiler. Sometimes, it might create an unwanted situation and increase the cost. 

So, you must consider both the advantages and disadvantages of using the heat pump instead of using the particular boiler.

Combi boiler: 

A heat pump can replace a combi boiler, but it will not give you the best experience. Since the combi boiler can produce the heat faster than the heat pump, you should not replace it without any emergency. 

If you have the combi boiler, you should never try to replace it with a new heat pump.

Oil boiler: 

Although the heat pump can efficiently replace the oil boiler system in milder climates, you should not replace it in winter. At that time, the oil furnace or oil boiler system will give you the best services. 

It will produce the heat sooner than the heat pump, and the overall cost will be higher too. So, you should not replace the oil boiler with your heat pump in winter.  

Gas boiler: 

The heat pump can replace the gas boiler perfectly. You will get better service and heat from the heat pump than from your gas boiler. It will save your cost and give you the optimum service considering the gas boiler. 

Luckily, you can replace the gas boiler with the heat pump. 

Can air source heat pump replace boiler?

The air source heat pump can replace the boiler and save around $500 every year. Using the gas boiler instead of the heat pump will increase the yearly bill by five hundred bucks. You can avoid such unnecessary costs by using the heat pump.

The air source heat pump is an excellent substitute for your gas boiler. It is efficient and can replace the boiler perfectly. You can produce the heat to warm your house and heat the water with your heat pump. But you cannot do both using your boiler. 

Some boilers will allow you to keep your house warm, but they will not like the heat pump. So, you must use the air heat pump system to replace all the boilers and get the best service from a single home appliance. 

If you genuinely replace your boiler with the air source heat pump, it will save both effort and cost. 

4 reasons why heat pump can replace boiler

You should know the four different reasons if you want to see why a heat pump can replace your boiler. These reasons will tell you why you should replace it. Efficiency, usefulness, and cost savings are the main factors.

We will cover one more reason which is durability. It will remain one of the most crucial reasons why a heat pump can replace a boiler and why you should use it, not the gas boiler.

Efficiency: 

The heat pump is three times more efficient than the regular gas boiler. It will give you the optimum heat within a short time. At the same time, the boiler can only produce heat to warm the water. 

It might seem that the boiler is the winner, but when you consider all the factors regarding the heat pump, you will find the efficiency.

The heat pump will slowly produce the heat and use the electricity efficiently. Moreover, it will allow you to use it as a coolant or a heater, which is another efficiency of using the heat pump instead of a gas boiler. 

The boiler will only give you one option to produce the heat.

Usefulness: 

You can use the heat pump better than the boiler. The boiler will allow you to produce the heat instantly, faster than the heat pump. But the thing is, you cannot use the boiler as an air-conditioning system. 

Though the heat pump will allow you to use it as the AC, and you can decrease the overall home temperature.

If needed, you can use the heat pump as the heater in winter. If you need to increase the temperature during snowfall time, you must turn the heat mode on. You can set the temperature if your heat pump is updated.

Cost-Savings: 

You can save some costs around $500 a year. If you replace the boiler with a heat pump, you can save that amount yearly. It is because of the efficiency and the way of using the electricity better than the gas boiler. 

So, if you consider the cost efficiency concept, you will know why you should replace your boiler with a heat pump.

Durability: 

Another reason you should replace your boiler with a heat pump is durability. It’s not like you will replace the boiler only to get the efficient service; it will also give you more durability than the boiler. 

Especially if you compare the boiler’s durability with the heat pump’s, you will find a clear picture. Typically, the heat pump will last for 15 years, whereas the gas boiler will last for ten years. 

Is a heat pump more efficient than a boiler?

A heat pump is more efficient than a boiler. This is how money can be saved over the long term in terms of efficient running costs and the ability to save money. It also indicates that you can rely solely on electric power instead of the limited supply of gas.

Modern heating boilers that are properly maintained can quickly provide efficiency of up to 98.5 percent of the energy they consume, while heat pumps will provide you with three to four times more energy. 

For every kilowatt of electricity consumed, you will receive three to four times as much energy.

How much does it cost to replace a boiler with a heat pump?

The price of a new heat pump can range anywhere from $3,500 to $7,500, depending on the heat pump’s energy efficiency and the kind of heat pump you choose to install. 

The installation of a mini-split ductless heat pump with four indoor air handler units designed to handle multiple zones could cost up to $12,000.

The three kinds of heat pump available for installation are geothermal heat pumps, central ducted air source heat pumps, and mini-split ductless heat pumps. Geothermal heat pumps are the most expensive choice and can have an installation price of up to $25,000.

How to replace a gas boiler with a heat pump?

You can replace a gas boiler with a heat pump by following the given steps.  

Install Condenser Unit: 

This is the component of the system that is exposed to the environment. Condenser units can be secured to the ground with bolts or installed on brackets that are flush against the house. 

Mount Air Handling Unit: 

Mount the plate on the studs using the appropriate tools. After that, you need to drill a hole from the mounting position to the outdoor unit.

Attach the indoor air handling unit to the mounting brackets cautiously. Then you will need to thread the control wire, the refrigerant lines, and the condensate drain hose through the hole that was drilled earlier. 

Join Indoor and Outdoor Components: 

Connect the control wire, the lines for the refrigerant, and the hose for draining condensate.

Establish Last Connection: 

Finally, you will need to attach a gauge manifold and a vacuum pump to the lines that contain the refrigerant. Before pumping refrigerant into the system, this checks for leaks and, if necessary, drys out the lines. 

You might also need to put the device under test to ensure that it functions appropriately.

Final Thoughts

A heat pump can replace your gas boiler with some modifications. You should follow my process of replacing the existing boiler to get the efficient service from a heat pump. It will give you both heating and cooling services. But the boiler will only produce heat.