The phrase ‘heat pump‘ is actually a category, not a specific product.

It covers several different sub-categories and types of heat pump.

The most well-known types are air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps.

When these options aren’t suitable, people often turn to hybrid heat pumps.

Hybrid heat pump system: A definition

A hybrid heat pump system (sometimes called a dual fuel heat pump system) is a combination of renewable heating with a traditional system.

It switches between energy sources, depending on which is the most efficient at any given time.

In the UK, it’s most often a combination of an air source heat pump and a gas boiler. This ensures consistent comfort.

But it also means that neither technology has to achieve the desired performance alone. If the outside temperature is ideal, the heat pump will operate to keep your home warm and energy use low.

And when the outside air reaches lower temperatures (below zero), the heat pump will shut down and the system switches to the traditional fossil fuel boiler.

Advantages of hybrid heat pump systems

Efficiency

The key benefit for a hybrid system is efficiency.

The system switches between renewable and fossil fuel, choosing the technology that is most efficient at any given time.

Consistency

You can use the system all year round.

In the summer, it can keep you cool. And when autumn and winter arrive, it acts as an air conditioner in reverse to keep your home warm.

If the outside conditions are too demanding for heat pump, your traditional system will kick in to meet the shortfall.

Cost savings

Heat pumps save a lot of money – they only use a small amount of electricity to operate.

So, hybrid systems gain a significant portion of this benefit. Fossil fuels are expensive, and you will be using less of them.

Some estimates suggest that a hybrid heating system can save homeowners 30 – 50% per year.

Longevity

By the nature of a hybrid system, both your renewable system and the traditional system won’t need to work so hard.

As a result, maintenance is simple and the hybrid setup ensures that your heating solution doesn’t get tired, inefficient, and prone to breakdown.

A combination of a heat pump and a traditional system will ensure that each is in better health for annual servicing.

Disadvantages hybrid heat pumps

Carbon emissions

The first disadvantage is that you are still burning fossil fuels. Of course, it will be at a much lower rate than with a fully traditional heating system.

Extra installation costs

We don’t often install a heat pump and traditional system at the same time. Typically, we will install a hybrid system when there is already a traditional system in place.

To install the two technologies together is certainly more expensive when compared to a single fuel system (heat pump alone, or boiler alone).

So, this does require a relatively high upfront cost.

Potential lack of return

As with all heat pumps, the return on investment for a hybrid system is often long term via energy savings. However, it will inevitably add value to your home when it comes to a sale.

Hybrid heating system costs

The total cost of a hybrid domestic heating boiler with its associated Air Source Heat Pump can be between £7,500 to £15,000, including installation.

For comparison, the cost of installing a new boiler in the UK can be anything between £500 to £2500. If your property is fairly large, you’d be looking at the upper end of that scale.

And ground source heat pumps cost between £10,000 to £20,000 for installation and integration with the hybrid system.

Consider your options

At IMS, we always recommend a single fuel air source heat pump or ground source heat pump, if possible.

However, this might not be possible for several reasons, including:

And other reaons.

If you are interested in a hybrid heat pump installation, or learning whether your property is suitable for one of these technologies alone, contact us.