Worcester Bosch is calling on government to seriously consider including hybrids in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

A new trial has found that hybrid heat systems can effectively heat homes in the UK while still working towards the country’s net zero goals, as a weighted average of 94% of annual heat demand would come from the heat pump element. This study positions the technology as a highly effective solution to lower carbon heating.

The joint research project between manufacturer Worcester Bosch and University of Salford took place at the latter’s Energy House Lab – a full-scale reconstruction of a pre-1920 end-terrace home commonly found across the UK, that could simulate different outdoor temperatures ranging from -3°C to 16°C.

The findings from the trial show that a hybrid system can perform exceptionally well in typical UK homes. Based on the analysed data from the trial, a hybrid heat pump has the potential to*:

Deliver a weighted average of 94% of the total annual heat demand from the heat pump element

See the heat pump handle 100% of the heating requirements when outdoor temperature is 7°C or above – and when at coldest (-3°C) contribute above 70% of the total space heating

Reduce 1,270kg of CO2 compared to a boiler-only saving – approximately 77% of the carbon savings of a full heat pump

Lowered bills and improved homes

The trial involved a ‘bivalent parallel system’ – where a heat pump and boiler run in parallel via a smart ‘hybrid manager’. The heat pump acts as the primary heat source, with the boiler only adding supplementary heat to meet demand when the outdoor temperature drops. This enables efficient heat delivery – particularly during winter peaks when demand is at its highest.

The findings confirm that a hybrid heat pump system offers real, practical benefits for homeowners, without the need for costly and disruptive preparatory work to their properties.

These include:

Savings of £79 on annual energy bills compared to a standalone gas fired boiler**

Improve Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of the property from Band D to C – a key government target***

Provide a more cost-effective route to lower carbon heating, delivering 1.5x the present carbon savings per pound of public spending****

A push for policy change

The company believes the findings present strong evidence that hybrid heat systems should be considered in government initiatives that encourage increased uptake of lower-carbon technologies.

Carl Arntzen, CEO of Worcester Bosch, said; “Lowering the carbon emissions of the UK’s homes is a shared goal that requires a range of effective and accessible solutions. The findings from our work with the University of Salford are clear: bivalent parallel hybrid heat pumps are a practical and highly effective technology for the UK today.

“We believe government recognition and financial support for hybrid heat pumps, such as including this proven technology in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), presents an opportunity to make the transition to lower carbon heating faster, fairer and more effective. It offers a practical and accessible stepping-stone on the journey to net zero for millions of households.”

For more information and to access the hybrid trial whitepaper, visit: https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/hybrid-heat-pumps-win.

* Data available here: https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/hybrid-heat-pumps-win

** Analysis conducted based on Cosy Octopus Tariffs (Oct. 2025). Assumed unit from Octopus: (gas: 6.29 p/kWh), Time of Use Electricity Tariff based on Cosy Octopus (weighted average: 21.07p/kWh). Average boiler efficiency: 85%

*** Analysis conducted with RdSAP 9.94

**** Assumed CO2 emissions per usage of kWh of electricity (0.207 kg CO2e/kWh) and gas (0.183 kg CO2e/kWh).

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Peter Spurway, Head of Renewables at Viessmann Climate Solutions UK, explains how housebuilders and architects can be futureready: from all-electric homes to Zero Bills and smart grids.

The Future Homes Standard consultation is highly likely to herald the specification of heat pumps and other electric heating technologies in new build UK homes. With this, developers are now in the business of building “smart homes” where all heat and power is one ecosystem. This is fuelled by electricity and managed by a Home Energy Management System (HEMS), such as Viessmann’s One Base platform. Consuming that electric power could be a heat pump, MVHR system, the charging of electric vehicles and general household demand. Domestic power generation via solar PV, and batteries for storage, are other potential elements of the ecosystem.

Specifying the right foundations in terms of HEMS platform and compatible smart technologies, in conjunction with services from utility providers, is a rapidly emerging requirement. Forward-thinking housebuilders that get this right will deliver customer satisfaction at a property level and help determine a successful path to a model for net zero living. As we move toward end-to-end systems integrating PV with batteries, heat pumps and EV charge points, due consideration is needed at the heating design stage to ensure there is no clash of services in the developed design phase.

Furthermore, housebuilders are increasingly looking to the services of MCS-accredited installers and designers to undertake their installation and specification requirements. Viessmann Climate Solutions UK is able to provide an on-site MCS sign off service to new-build developers across each of its residential brands. Additionally, all of its heat pumps offer features to harness smart tariffs for new home buyers and reduce the OPEX for the homeowner.

Some controllers offer smarter, automated functionalities and bring additional benefits to heat pump users. For example, heat pumps from Carrier and Riello (sister brands to Viessmann) harness the Octopus Energy Agile tariff by means of intelligent third-party controls such as Homely or the Passiv Smart Thermostat. These self-learning controllers optimise Riello heat pumps to operate when they can take full advantage of the off-peak electricity rate without sacrificing comfort. In contrast, a type-of-use tariff, such as OVO Energy’s Heat Pump Plus add-on of 15p/kWh (at the time of writing), is available to customers of Viessmann’s Vitocal 150-A and 151-A domestic air source heat pumps. This brings an annual saving of up to £300 on the running costs of a heat pump, in a representative home, which has the minimum allowable seasonal coefficient of performance (SCoP) of 2.8, compared to the company’s standard variable tariff.

The type-of-use add-on principle is increasingly being applied to domestic EV charging as well. During the transition phase to a new pure-electric, pure heat pump world, manufacturers and energy suppliers are increasingly forging partnerships, but the UK market is not there yet with infinite connectivity between different heat pumps and tariffs. Property developers should therefore choose manufacturers and installers wisely, favouring those with interoperable products.

Many readers will be aware of recently introduced, disruptive, housebuildertargeted initiatives that allow customers to move into homes that are equipped with a heat pump, battery and solar panels, and where there is a no energy bill guarantee for a certain period of time. The new dominance of the utility provider in a housing development’s consumer marketing offer is only set to continue.

In the near future (the UK is somewhat behind other countries), energy companies will invite housing developments to join their smart grids, or virtual power plants. Using cloud-based platforms that control distributed energy assets to match supply and demand, they can take green energy as it becomes available by wind or solar and “dump” it into individual heat pumps, EVs and batteries within its grid.

Through its existing, integrated, futureready One Base software platform and commercially available APIs, all Viessmann products and digital services are interoperable with such smart grids today, enabling electricity networks to automate and control these assets over the cloud, to combat peak and off peak usage patterns.

For example, Vitocharge VX3 batteries can provide a virtual power plant to support grid balancing, while Vitocal heat pumps, Vitovent MVHR and Viessmann Wallbox technologies can provide demand shifting. It is good news for housebuilders that many smart technology providers are already prepared for this future.

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