‘Why I installed a zero-emission boiler, not a heat pump’
Finding heat pumps expensive and disruptive, one homeowner opted for a different way to keep warm without using gas
Zero-emission boilers are a way to decarbonise households that don’t have the space or money for a heat pump
GETTY IMAGES
The Sunday Times
Once Tim Meadows had bought solar panels, a battery to store energy and an electric car, replacing his gas boiler seemed the obvious next thing to do. It wasn’t broken, but he wanted to get rid of it anyway, not only “to do as much for the environment as possible” but because he’s something of a techie, fascinated by new kit — he has been keeping a record of the solar panels’ output every month since installing them in 2015.
The question was what to replace it with. Ideally he would have gone for a heat pump. Kicking out three units of heat for every unit of electricity you put in, it would have been by far the most energy-efficient option. But it would also
