They don't work in the cold, they're noisy, you need underfloor heating — the most persistent heat pump myths, tested against how the technology actually performs.
Myth 1: “They don’t work when it’s cold”
Modern air source heat pumps extract heat from outdoor air down to -20°C or lower, and the coldest heat pump markets on Earth — Norway, Sweden, Finland — are also the ones with the highest adoption. Efficiency dips in a cold snap, which is exactly what proper sizing from a heat loss survey accounts for.
Myth 2: “They’re noisy”
A modern unit runs at roughly 50–55 dB at the unit — about the level of a quiet conversation, quieter than most boiler flues at close range. Siting still matters near bedroom windows and neighbour boundaries, and planning rules set noise limits that any competent installer designs to.
Myth 3: “You need underfloor heating”
Underfloor heating suits heat pumps beautifully, but radiators work fine at the lower flow temperatures heat pumps prefer — some homes just need a few radiators upsized. The heat loss survey identifies exactly which, before you spend a penny.
Myth 4: “They cost a fortune to run”
A heat pump delivers 2.5–5 units of heat per unit of electricity — a SCOP of 250–500%, averaged over the year, against a gas boiler’s ~90%. On a standard tariff, running costs land around parity with gas; on a heat pump tariff they typically beat it, and they thrash oil, LPG and direct electric heating.
Myth 5: “The house never gets warm”
Heat pumps heat differently — lower temperatures, longer and steadier — and a correctly sized system holds a home at temperature more consistently than a boiler cycling on and off. The horror stories almost always trace back to systems sized on guesswork rather than a room-by-room survey.
Myth 6: “They’re only for new builds”
The majority of installations in the UK now go into existing homes. Insulation helps every heating system, but “heat pump ready” describes far more of the housing stock than the myth suggests — including plenty of pre-war homes.
Myth 7: “The grant is a hassle to claim”
You never touch the paperwork. Your MCS installer claims the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant (£9,000 for oil and LPG homes) on your behalf and you simply pay the after-grant price.
The pattern behind every myth
Almost all of them come from the same place: badly designed early installations. The technology is proven; the variable is the installer. Insist on a heat loss survey and MCS certification, and the myths stay myths.
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