Simple changes which could save YOU hundreds on energy bills - switching deals to discounts
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Linda Karlsen took the plunge and invested in a new heat pump and solar panels for her home two years ago. Her idea was to make her savings work harder, but the key driver was on environmental grounds. But going green did not come cheap. Even with a £5,000 government grant (it has since risen to £7,500), she and her husband had to shell out around £4,500 for the air source heat pump and related upgrades to the heating system in her three-bed home in Whitstable, Kent. The solar panels were a further £8,000.
Despite that, retired deputy head teacher Linda says she does not regret it for a second. “It is the best thing I have ever done,” she declares. The heat pump’s installation was arranged by Octopus Energy, which also has special heat pump tariffs.
Air source pumps work by generating energy from the air outside that can be used to heat homes. They work in place of a gas boiler, use up to four times less energy and, as such, produce less carbon. They are also said to last 20 years – up to twice as long as a gas boiler.
Linda, 76, who is also an artist, estimates she is saving up to £300 a year as a result of the heat pump and solar panels. That is despite having the heating on constantly from early morning to late at night. “People walk in now and say how cosy it is because the whole house is warm all the time,” she said. “Beforehand, going from one part of the house to the other, you would notice the difference.”.
