Expensive heating due to rising gas prices in the cold months? With an air heat pump you can regain control of your energy bill

Gas prices have become newsworthy again. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prices skyrocketed because Western Europe decided to get rid of cheap Russian gas as quickly as possible. That took a while, but eventually they managed to tap into sufficient alternative sources and thus stabilize the gas price again.

Gas price almost doubled

Recently, however, we have seen the price creep up again. Admittedly not as dramatically as in 2022, but still: almost doubled since the beginning of this year (see graph). As a resident of a 'normal' house that is 'reasonably' (but not optimally) insulated, you're stuck with an ever-increasing energy bill. Because you want it to be warm inside, so what else can you do?

Net gas price per month in 2024 (source: Energy zero)

Fortunately you can do things differently, even in a ‘normal’ house, and without complicated interventions. Air-to-air heat pumps (actually: air conditioners that blow out warm air) can be installed without too much hassle and are capable of keeping your home at a pleasant temperature without using any gas. We've installed a number of them, to the great satisfaction of our customers, including our own director David.

Not needed a single cubic meter of gas

David lives in a village outside Amsterdam with his wife and two young children. As the director of a company that wants to make the world greener, he naturally wants to live as fossil-free as possible himself, but how do you do that? “Our house was built in 1900, which makes it relatively difficult to make it more sustainable,” says David, “but the air-to-air heat pump is a great solution that can be easily installed.” His system was installed in mid-October, just in time before the temperature started to drop - and before the gas price started to rise even further!

High up on the wall, the air heat pump provides comfortable and cost-effective heating

“We haven’t had to use a single cubic metre of gas for heating since the installation of the air source heat pump in mid-October, even though it’s been quite cold in recent weeks,” says David with satisfaction: “Even on the cold days of the past few weeks, it’s been nice and warm and comfortable inside.” He enthusiastically pulls up graphs of his electricity and gas consumption, showing to what extent his use of gas has plummeted compared to last year: “We only use a little bit of gas for cooking and showering now,” says David, “so our next step will be a heat pump boiler. We just have to see if it fits in the cellar.”

The air source heat pump's outside unit is discreetly hidden away

Almost self-sufficient

As far as David is concerned, installing the air heat pump was an excellent choice, especially in combination with solar panels. Thanks to the net metering mechanism, he can completely offset the electricity consumption for heating against the feed-in from the panels for the next two years. And in the years after that, his heating will remain affordable thanks to his home battery that is filled with cheap electricity at night when the offshore wind turbines are running at full speed and the electricity price is low. His philosophy is: “With a heat pump, you can heat your home 4 times as efficiently as with gas and at a fraction of the cost, especially if you have solar panels.”

Solar panels on the shed behind the house

Well done David! “With 6 solar panels on the house and 12 solar panels on the garden shed (also with heat pump), and the air heat pump and the smart battery in the house, we are now almost completely self-sufficient on an annual basis,” he proudly declares. If he can do it, in a beautiful but only moderately well-insulated house, then you can do it too. Want to know how you can drastically reduce your gas bill and still have a nice and warm home? Our advisors have the answer and are ready to help you!

David and family's home is ready for warm holidays