Heat pump launched with monthly payment plan in latest bid to take on gas

A Swedish company is launching a heat pump paid for in monthly instalments in the latest push to get UK households to switch away from gas boilers.

Aira is offering new air source heat pumps, operated via a smart app, with monthly payment plan to avoid upfront costs and a 15-year “comfort guarantee” in which it takes responsibility for maintenance and keeping the house cosy.

The firm’s UK chief executive Daniel Sarefjord said “the boiler is the enemy” as he said residential heating was responsible for 16% of the UK’s carbon emissions.

The Government has set a target for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed each year by 2028 as part of efforts to decarbonise heating.

It is providing a grant – increased last year to £7,500 – for an air source pump to reduce the high upfront costs of the clean tech and encourage take-up, and some energy companies are offering their customers the opportunity to move to heat pumps.

But industry experts have warned that installations will have to increase by more than 10-fold in the next few years to hit that target.

A “clean heat market mechanism” which requires boiler manufacturers to sell a certain proportion of heat pumps, to boost the sector is also due to come in, but there have been reports it could be scrapped.

And high electricity costs compared to gas in the UK mean that, although electric heat pumps are around four times more efficient than a boiler, the savings are not as high as they could be for households making the switch.

Mr Sarefjord said in the UK the Aira system would overall still save 25% on heating compared to a boiler – where costs mount up through servicing and maintenance – and that could rise to 50% when used alongside clean tech such as solar panels.

The overall cost is around £3,000 to £7,000, after the Government grant, which is split into 12 interest-free monthly payments.

To further encourage customers, the company is looking to provide a financing solution that would spread the payments over a decade, as it already offers in Italy, though it said UK regulations were more complicated.

Mr Sarefjord said Aira was an end-to-end company, designing its products with Scandinavian style, manufacturing the heat pumps, employing and training staff to install, maintain and service them, and providing finance to make the products affordable.

“So for a consumer it should be a truly hassle-free experience to have it.

“They shouldn’t really think about the (heating) solution they have, they should just enjoy the benefits of lower energy bills and better comfort,” he said.