Right smart arse what I have said that’s wrong?
Pretty much everything.
ASHPs are kind of electric boilers
No, they're not, they're more like a reverse fridge where electricity is used to power the pump cycle, but does not actually heat the water directly... ergo they are not an 'electric boiler'.
What a stupid statement? In what way are they 'crap'? They are efficient (between 3kW and 4kW generated from each kW of electricity depending on generation of pump), they are pretty simple (like a fridge), and installed correctly are more or less a fit and forget solution other than an occasional service to ensure everything is working properly... much like a gas boiler. Modern variants can exhibit heat outputs to match modern gas boilers and when installed with the optimal sized emitters e.g. radiators or under floor heating work as well or better than conventional systems. I agree that early generations of the technology left a bit to be desired as they were not as efficient or as high an output as modern variants, but this is the way it is for emerging technologies... look at the early gas combis to see a comparison... they were very poor by modern standards. As the technology matures things change, twas ever thus.
and extremely expensive to install
Sadly the industry has been in that horrible early phase where installers were few and far between, the technology still was not widely understood and the whole installer accreditation scheme was seen by some as a licence to print money or (as stated as the technology was not fully understood) installers covered their backs by charging more. Thankfully we're coming out of that now and install prices are dropping as the technology matures. There is also far more understanding of where ASHPs are going to work and where they're not. A lot of modern radiator based systems are undersized anyway and gas/oil systems are run at very high output levels (where they are less efficient) to compensate. Even so modern ASHPs have higher outputs now and in a lot of cases can just replace an existing boiler albeit they do need a tank system. Even so pretty much any normal reasonable well insulated house all things being equal will work perfectly well with an ASHP, the notion that everything needs to be insulated to the nth degree is not true albeit the less insulation there is the more running any heating source will cost... obviously. That said the British mentality of minimal insulation and cranking up the heating is a massive problem here as it is grossly inefficient (and consequently environmentally damaging) and we need to have a mentality change to 'get with the program'. Even today UK building regulations are still hugely lacking in this area and enforcement of them is a joke. I still see modern houses being built with the minimum levels of insulation and it's a travesty. I am just in the process of renovating/building a property and have put 190mm of insulation in the timber frame walls and 240mm in the roof frame as these values are where the law of diminishing returns kick in. UK regs are significantly less than this. Then there is the enforcement. I have seen new builds with insulation gaps I can get my hand into... pointless and unsurprisingly not picked up by building control. Any heating source will be benefit from better insulation as will the planet... it should be a government priority, but....
plus there's the bullshit stuff about them saving the planet/cheap to run
They are relatively cheap to run (and would be more so if we had a decent energy price enforcement model in the UK). As said modern pumps will generate around 3.7KW for every kW consumed. They are way more efficient than gas combis. See this link for some detail:
New Study Shows Heat Pumps To Be Four Times More Efficient Than Most Gas Boilers
The sticking point is, of course, the price of electricity.... see how much cheaper it is in Norway for example. That's beyond the topic of this thread but having a government that allows energy prices to be set the way they are isn't helping in this regard.
ASHPs will help environmentally too as long as the electricity generating them comes from predominantly renewable sources. Homeowners can also use solar panels to supplement their electricity supply which has further environmental benefit. The last time I looked homeowners can't usually generate their own gas, not usable gas anyway
This constant reference to 'saving the planet bullshit' is irksome too. No ASHP is going to 'save the planet, but they do have the potential to significantly contribute to helping combat the effects of climate change whereas gas boilers are doing the opposite. This is fact, not bullshit. Statistics released just this morning show how dire a position the planet is in
More climate records fall in world's warmest February
so unless everyone (that is governments, individuals, companies, organisations etc.) contributes the situation is only going one way. I get really fed up with the attitude of 'my small contribution won't make a difference' while Country A or Company B are still doing what they are doing. We all need to do our bit and to still see gas boilers being installed in UK new builds is really quite disheartening especially when they alternative is now so readily available.
however they are good in the right property ie brand new designed for renewables with fantastic insulation properties.
They are best in a well insulated modern property, but as said UK new builds in general are not that great in this regard anyway. They will work just fine in any normal property all things being equal and as long as they are sized and installed correctly. There are always going to be exceptions where they are not suitable, but these are very much in the minority and anyway there are plenty of places where gas combis won't work... i.e. places with no gas. This notion they only work in buildings with Pasisvhaus levels of insulation is very much out of date, not that that should dissuade anyone from wanting to improve the insulation in their property, as that is the best answer to the environmental conundrum.
Finally, condescendingly calling me a smart arse is fine and hopefully makes you feel better, but this is an industry in which I work on the R&D side quite a lot so I do actually know quite a lot about it.
