We have a house from 1905 with thick brick walls and we want to get rid of the oil heating. Most tradesmen say it'll be too expensive with a heat pump because of the poor insulation. Has anyone had experience with that?
With thick brick walls from 1905, a heat pump definitely works, but the tradespeople have a point - you just gotta look at it more carefully. You can install an air heat pump relatively straightforwardly without a ton of digging around, and with energy prices the way they are, it pays off. The real problem is that an old house like that with poor insulation needs high flow temperatures, and that's where a heat pump becomes inefficient. But that doesn't automatically mean it's not worth it financially.
I'd think about it differently than most people do: insulation is nice to have, of course, but if the financial reality is that you need to replace your heating system now, then you're better off getting a heat pump in there, even if the conditions aren't optimal. You'll still save money compared to oil, and in 5, 10 years you can gradually improve the insulation (new windows, maybe exterior insulation later on). My cat's always sitting on the thermostat, so this whole topic gets on my nerves regularly 😄 But the important thing: have an expert come check out what your actual heat demand is. They can then tell you whether an air heat pump makes sense or if you still need gas as a backup. Whatever you do, don't just go ahead and install it without thinking.
It really depends on how well insulated your walls are and whether you care about high heating costs 😅 With turn-of-the-century buildings you often need an air-source heat pump instead of geothermal because it's cheaper and you don't have to drill - lots of people around me have done that and are pretty happy with it, even though the electricity bill ends up a bit higher than with a new oil heating system.
Maybe get a second or third opinion from other installers because not everyone has the same experience with older houses 🏠 And if you do a bit of insulation work (at least windows and roof), it'll be way more economical!
To be honest, I'd do proper insulation first before you install a heat pump - with old houses like that with thick walls, you'll just need way too much heating capacity otherwise and end up paying more than you save. The tradesmen have a point there, I've got two people in my friend group who underestimated that and regret it now.
Log into answer.
