Heat pump or gas — a decision you make at design stage

A heat pump is most efficient at low flow temperatures — that means underfloor heating in a well-insulated building. A gas boiler tolerates worse insulation and radiators. This is not merely a choice of appliance; it is a choice about the whole performance of the building.

What changes in the design

With a heat pump we specify thicker insulation, a tighter envelope, heat recovery ventilation and underfloor heating on every storey. With gas you need a flue, ventilation for the boiler room and a connection — which is sometimes unavailable or expensive.

The long-term arithmetic

A heat pump costs fifteen to twenty-five thousand złoty more to install but less to run, especially paired with photovoltaics. At current energy prices the break-even usually lands between year seven and year eleven.

The critical point: you cannot sensibly retrofit a heat pump into a house designed around gas. That is why we ask this question at the first meeting, not at the installation stage.