Heating, Doubt: Better Gas or Heat Pump? Pros and Cons

Gas heating or heat pump? In light of the additional increases in the bill, many are wondering what is the best solution for their home. We assess the situation.

Winter is upon us and other bill increases too! Therefore, many families are looking for solutions to heat their homes without experiencing real depletion. After all, when it comes to heating, one of the first ideas is the cost of the solution you choose on your bill. With the intention of clarifying the ideas a little, today we will compare the most common heating systems in Italian homes: a gas boiler and a heat pump.

Let’s start by saying that the purpose of both devices is exactly the same, but with a completely different principle of operation. In fact, the main difference between a gas boiler and a heat pump lies in the energy resources used and the way in which the two systems generate heat.

In fact, while a gas boiler generates heat through the combustion of LPG, a heat pump draws the necessary energy from an external natural source such as air, water or geothermal energy.

Gas boiler: pros and cons

Among the main advantages of an LPG boiler, there is certainly the cost of purchasing and installing the system. In fact, the costs to be incurred are less than that of a heat pump. In addition, a gas boiler, unlike a heat pump, is not affected by external temperatures and maintains constant efficiency even in the coldest winter climates. However, this heating system has the drawback of using fossil fuels from non-renewable sources and releasing harmful exhaust fumes.

Heat pump: pros and cons

Unlike LPG boilers, heat pumps are more environmentally friendly, and to generate heat, they use natural energy sources such as water, air or geothermal energy. Unfortunately, heat pump efficiency is greatly affected by outside temperatures and decreases with lower temperatures. Therefore, it is strongly not recommended in places with especially cold temperatures, for example, mountainous areas. In addition, the purchase and installation of a heat pump requires more economic effort than gas heating, but its consumption is significantly lower in the long run.

In order to choose the heating system that best suits your needs, it is necessary to take into account primarily the climate of the place where you live. As we said earlier, it is not recommended to use a heat pump in mountainous areas where temperatures are especially low. However, it may be a win-win option in areas with moderate temperatures.

In any case, a little thought can also be directed to the hybrid system, that is, which is based on both technologies. The hybrid system is the one that guarantees the best advantages, both in terms of savings and continuous efficiency.