There is no gas boiler in any of the homes we are building now. Here is what goes in instead, and what it means for the way you live in the house.
If you are looking at a new home in Shropshire at the moment, the heating is probably the thing you have the most questions about. Buyers ask us about it at the sales office most weekends, usually some version of the same one: is a heat pump going to keep the house warm, and what is it going to cost me?
Here is how our homes work.
What is in the house
Every home we are building now runs on an air-source heat pump rather than a gas or oil boiler. A heat pump does not burn fuel to make heat. It moves heat from the outside air into the house, which is why it is three to four times more efficient than a boiler.
Downstairs there is underfloor heating with zone control, so you heat the rooms you are using, at the temperature you want them, rather than heating the whole house to warm one room.
The rest of it matters just as much as how you make the heat:
- High-performance insulation and energy-saving glazing, so the heat stays in
- Low-energy lighting throughout, fitted as standard rather than sold as an upgrade
- An electric car charging point on the driveway
- Ultrafast full fibre to the door
What it means day to day
An older house loses heat through the roof, the walls and the windows, and then burns gas or oil to replace it. A heat pump works differently. It runs at a lower temperature for longer rather than blasting out heat twice a day, so the house sits at a steady temperature instead of swinging between cold mornings and hot evenings.
The underfloor heating is part of that. A warm floor at a modest temperature heats a room more comfortably than a hot radiator on one wall, and you get the wall space back.
What we will not tell you
We will not put a figure on your annual bill, because it depends entirely on how you live: how warm you keep it, how many of you there are, how often you are in.
What we will do is show you the energy performance certificate for your plot before you reserve, and talk it through with you properly. If someone is quoting you a precise annual saving on a house you have not lived in yet, be careful.
You get shown how it works
On completion day we walk you round the house before you get the keys: how the heat pump works, how to set the heating, where the stopcock is, and what to expect in the first few weeks while a new house dries out. It is in the home maintenance guide too, including servicing.
Every home carries a 10-year LABC warranty alongside our own two-year warranty, and we are members of the Consumer Code for Home Builders. If something is not right, you ring the same office that built the house.
Come and stand in one
The honest answer to “is it warm?” is that you should go and feel it for yourself. There are homes available at The Mulberries at Dudleston Heath, a few minutes from Ellesmere, and at Wychwood at Four Crosses on the Welsh border.
The sales office at The Mulberries is open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Book a viewing or call 01691 682 194, and ask us anything you like about how the heating works.
Common questions about heat pumps in a new home
Do new Dennis Edwards homes still have a gas boiler?
No. There is no gas boiler in any of the homes we are building now. They are heated by an air-source heat pump, with underfloor heating to the ground floor.
Is an air-source heat pump expensive to run?
It depends how you live in the house, so we will not quote you an annual figure. A heat pump moves heat rather than burning fuel, which makes it three to four times more efficient than a boiler, and our homes are insulated and glazed to hold that heat in. We show you the energy performance certificate for your plot before you reserve.
Does a heat pump keep the house warm in winter?
Yes. It works differently from a boiler: it runs at a lower temperature for longer, so the house sits at a steady temperature rather than swinging between cold and hot. The best way to judge it is to come and stand in one of the houses.
Do I still get radiators upstairs?
The underfloor heating runs to the ground floor, with zone control so you can set rooms separately. Ask us at the sales office about the plot you are looking at and we will talk you through exactly what is in it.
What maintenance does a heat pump need?
It needs servicing like any heating system. We walk you through it on completion day, and the home maintenance guide covers it. Our own two-year warranty runs alongside the 10-year LABC warranty from the day you complete.
Where can I see a home with a heat pump in Shropshire?
At The Mulberries at Dudleston Heath, a few minutes from Ellesmere, and at Wychwood at Four Crosses. The sales office at The Mulberries is open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.
