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Your guide to hybrid heating systems

aroTHERM plus outside brick wall with a green bush in front of it

If you’re looking to reduce the cost of heating your home while minimising CO2 emissions, you might have come across hybrid heating systems. This option is more efficient and environmentally friendly than a standard boiler, but there are some important considerations to bear in mind before deciding to install one in your home.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what a hybrid heating system is, how it works and what the benefits are, helping you to decide whether it’s right for you.

What is a hybrid heating system ?

A hybrid heating system uses different types of heating technology to offer better overall efficiency.

In most cases, the system will use a gas or oil-fired boiler alongside a heat pump. This allows you to benefit from the best of both worlds, combining the speed and high-power heating capability of a boiler with the energy efficiency of a heat pump.

By switching between the boiler or heat pump as required, the hybrid system is able to deliver heat efficiently and on demand to keep your home warm and your water hot.

Why use two heat sources?

A hybrid system allows you to benefit from the fast reheat times of a boiler as well as the energy efficiency of a heat pump to maintain that warmth over a longer period.

By using a smart control that monitors your energy prices, a hybrid system automatically chooses the most efficient way to heat your home.

Heat pumps are highly economical, and are capable of producing as much as four units of heat for every one unit of energy they use.

Different types of hybrid heating systems

There are two main types of hybrid heating system:

Bivalent

Bivalent hybrid systems offer a thermostat approach, allowing you to choose a certain temperature as the trigger for switching between the two types of water heating.

For example, you can set it so that the heat pump operates when the outside temperature is above 0°C, so the boiler only takes over when the temperature drops below 0°C.

Tariff controlled

Tariff controlled heating systems know how much you pay for your energy, and automatically switch between the heat pump and boiler depending on the needs of the property.

We would usually recommend this option to customers over bivalent systems, as it makes it easy to maximise both comfort and potential savings. You don’t need to do anything; the system will select the most cost-effective method of heating for you.

man carrying a green washing basket with a boiler in the background

How much does it cost to install a hybrid heating system?

As with any type of installation, there are many various factors that will affect the overall cost of installation. These include:

  • Whether both a new boiler and a heat pump are installed, or a heat pump is added to an existing boiler
  • How much of the existing system is retained
  • How close the boiler is to the heat pump
  • Whether the system uses a regular or combi boiler
  • What type of heat pump is installed
  • What type of controls are installed

Installation of a hybrid heating system can cost anywhere between £5,000 and £10,000 for standard options, while more complex systems will be more. For a better idea of which hybrid heating system is right for your home and how much it will cost, you will need to contact your installer for a quote.

Installing a hybrid heating system at your home?