Why Your Heat Pump Isn’t Delivering the Savings You Were Promised
Heat pumps are often marketed as the ultimate low-carbon, energy-efficient solution to home heating. And on paper, they are. With the ability to provide 3 to 4 units of heat for every unit of electricity.
So why are so many homeowners and housing providers reporting disappointing savings?
The answer lies not in the technology itself, but in how it's controlled, balanced, and commissioned.
The Common Mistakes Undermining Your Heat Pump’s Efficiency
Even the most advanced heat pump will underperform if the distribution system around it isn’t designed or optimised properly. Here are three common culprits:
1. Poor Radiator Balancing
Most UK homes were originally designed for boilers, not low-temperature heat pumps. Boilers run at high flow temperatures—meaning radiators heat up quickly even if they're poorly balanced. Heat pumps, however, work best at lower temperatures to stay efficient.
If your radiators are unbalanced (which they almost always are), some rooms overheat while others never get warm enough. Installers often crank up the flow temperature to compensate, which kills efficiency.
2. Static Weather Compensation
Modern heat pumps often feature weather compensation—adjusting the flow temperature based on outdoor conditions. But here’s the catch: most systems use a static curve, set during commissioning. Once it’s set, it doesn’t respond to how your home actually behaves room to room.
Homes are complex—south-facing rooms get warmer, north colder, room occupancy, cooking, lighting etc all affect the demand. A one-size-fits-all curve just doesn't cut it. Without a dynamic control system, comfort suffers and efficiency drops. See our blog on this here- https://copangel.com/blog/why-weather-compensation-control-in-heat-pumps-must-be-dynamic
3. Generic Smart Thermostats
Most “smart” heating controls are not designed with heat pumps in mind. Many simply switch the system on or off based on a single room temperature—often the hallway. That’s no smarter than an old dial on the wall.
To truly optimise a heat pump, you need intelligent, room-by-room control that works with—not against—your heat pump’s low-temperature strategy.
The Smarter Way Forward: Intelligent, Adaptive Control
This is where COP Angel comes in. Our patented smart controller is designed specifically for heat pumps, with the following key innovations:
· Motorised radiator valves with built-in room sensors
· Return water sensors on each radiator to ensure balanced heat distribution
· Dynamic weather compensation that adjusts in real time based on actual room performance
· Room-by-room control to reduce flow temperature while maintaining comfort
By constantly analysing how each room heats up and adjusting the system accordingly, COP Angel reduces the average flow temperature—boosting your Coefficient of Performance (COP) and delivering even more savings your installer promised!