British Gas has introduced a new calculator that estimates the potential carbon dioxide reductions achievable by switching to heat pumps for home heating. With household heating responsible for nearly a third of the UK’s annual CO2 emissions, heat pumps have become the government’s favoured low-carbon solution to replace fossil fuel boilers.

The ‘Carbon Cruncher’ calculator gives the user a personalised estimate for how much carbon they could save. To see the most accurate results, they need to enter their household’s total energy usage from the past year, found in the annual statement from energy suppliers. Alternatively, the calculator can make an educated guess based on the size of a home and the number of people living there.

The tool also contextualises these CO2 savings by comparing the emissions saved with common carbon emitters and off-setters, such as long-distance flights and carbon-absorbing trees.

Based on the average UK household’s annual energy consumption of 12,000kWh (a 2-3 bedroom house currently using a mains gas heating system), British Gas calculates that switching to an air source heat pump could save 1404kg of CO2 annually – the equivalent of 3.3 flights from London to New York and switching to a vegan diet for four years.

Over the course of just one year, a household could offset the equivalent amount of CO2 emitted by driving 4544 miles in a petrol car or the emissions caused by energy-thirsty data centres hosting 8926 hours of online video calls.

The government has set a target of 600,000 homes switching to heat pumps every year by 2028. British Gas calculates this could lead to significantly emissions reductions:

  • The CO2 savings would be equivalent to 2.4million Brits switching to a vegan diet for one year.
  • It would offset the emissions caused by 7,262 Space X rocket launches.
  • The emission savings are equivalent to the CO2 produced by driving the circumference of the earth 109,482 times.
  • It would require 226 square miles of rainforest to absorb the same amount of carbon.
  • It would require 508,875 motorists switching from petrol to electric vehicles to save the same amount of CO2 in one year.
  • It is equivalent to the emissions caused in the production of 60,171 barrels of oil.

To access the calculator, visit the British Gas website:
https://www.britishgas.co.uk/home-services/boilers-and-heating/heat-pump-carbon-cruncher.html