Whereas gas boilers burn gas to produce heat, heat pumps do something more complicated. As with a fridge, a heat pump contains a circuit of pipes containing a material called a refrigerant. Because they transfer heat from outside, rather than just converting electricity into heat, heat pumps can technically produce more energy than the electricity that is put into them. Describing this as the “magic” of heat pumps, Sansom explains how heat pumps use “free” energy from outside to hit an energy efficiency of over 100%. Unlike homes in Nordic countries, where heat pumps are commonplace – up to 60% of Norwegian homes are heated by heat pumps – British homes often have poor insulation.

Source: The Guardian December 23, 2023 22:07 UTC