They changed all of them. They don't stand out further from the wall as far as I can recall. They're not double the size or anything, maybe 10-20% bigger. It's not noticeable unless you're really looking
That's already planned. The next step, to ban replacements, is already being talked about but there's no date for it yet. I do this for a living, @dangermousie, I have to be looking quite a long way ahead, it's not only my house I worry about.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I built a new addition onto my mother's existing house in 2020 and went with a heat pump system. Everyone tried to tell me it was too cold here in the northeast US for one to properly heat a home. Having spent most of my life heating with wood (pretty much everyone does around here because when you lose power it can sometimes be for days on end) and oil furnaces, I wanted something cleaner and more efficient. Add to that I'm so sick of dealing with wood! On average I was burning 5-6 cords of wood and around 500 gallons of oil each winter in my previous homes, and that would keep it around 62F/17C most days.
My heat pump system heats, cools, and de-humidifies. I have two units that heat the upper level (open concept) and one in the finished basement. I have one unit in my bedroom that never gets used. I love it. LOVE IT. Of course, being a new build I have excellent insulation (a blend of wool and plant-based materials that has a better R-rating than regular fiberglass insulation). During our cold snap when it was -40F I bumped my thermostats up to 66F from 64F and during the coldest part of the day my house had an actual temperature of 57F. Later that day when I went to turn the thermostats down, I realized I had accidentally shut one unit off instead of down. For one unit to keep a nearly 900-square-foot area that warm during those conditions, I have absolute faith in this system.
I also had as many windows put in as possible on the east and south-facing sides of the house, so the passive solar heating helps during the day. As far as outside, my compressor unit is close to the house on the gable end, surrounded by a gravel patio. I rarely use the a/c function, so the compressor is usually only running in the winter months and doesn't bother anything. I've been outside when it's kicked on in the fall or spring and the blast of air coming from it isn't that bad. I wouldn't plant anything in front of or around it, anyway, because I wouldn't want to block the airflow. I do have a wicker room divider that I can put in front of it during the summer if I don't want to look at the compressor.
As far as cost, even with the price of electricity almost doubling this winter I have still spent less using this heating system than I have in other homes.
edit to add - it does make for dry air inside during the winter, and my seedlings need watering almost daily as they're near a head unit. Also, my units are mounted near the ceilings rather than on the floor.
New England, USA
Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
@raisingirl, I'm very glad people are trying to do this. I'm obviously not in favour of gas. What is the plan? Hydrogen? Free boiler replacement for 74% of UK houses?
Posts
https://www.edfenergy.com/heating/advice/uk-boiler-ban
Did all radiators have to be changed? How much bigger are the new ones? Do they stand out further from the wall as well as being longer and/or taller.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”