‘During winter our heat pump sounds like the howl of a small jet engine’

Heat pumps are too loud to be installed in millions of homes under the Government’s noise guidelines, Telegraph Money revealed on Sunday.

Despite the Government wanting to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 to hit net zero targets, a report by sound specialists warns uptake could be limited.

The study reveals that most heat pumps are too loud for many homes in built-up areas because they would break noise limits set for homeowners who want to install one without planning permission and with a government grant.

Telegraph readers have voiced their frustrations of living with the intolerable noise heat pumps emit, with many arguing the case against their implementation.

‘We don’t put it on when children are asleep as the noise can be heard from inside their rooms’

Derrick Taylor: “You also need to consider the noise of the unit on the bedrooms of the house in which it is installed, rather than the distance to a neighbour’s property. I have one installed and we don’t put it on when children are asleep as the noise can be heard from inside their rooms. It’s approximately 10 metres from the bedroom. I find the official 40 decibels to 60 decibels (similar to fridge or dishwasher) to be inaccurate. It may be this at some points in its cycle but once the winter months arrive and it gets colder the fan works much harder and is louder as a result.”

‘The noise is like a small hovercraft and measured at well over the prescribed limits’

Michael Henshaw: “My neighbour fitted an air source heat pump (ASHP) pointing directly at our house. When operating at full duty, especially in colder periods, the noise is like a small hovercraft and measured at well over the prescribed limits. The planners have forced him to move the heat pump to a totally isolated position which of course most built up areas do not have the option of.

“The whole idea of heat pumps has been ill thought through and needs full reconsideration.”

‘Imagine a whole line of houses with a continuous loud hum’

Carol Bramdon: “There’s one in our village, the noise can be heard as you walk past their property. This article only pertains to the noise level of one installation, imagine a whole line of houses with a continuous loud hum. The one I know of is far louder than a fridge! I just hope none of my neighbours decides they can afford one.”

‘In a cold winter, the pump can howl like a small jet engine’

Anonymous: “I think I’m qualified to reply as we own two houses adjacent to each other. Both have underfloor heating. One is a 400-year-old listed cob and thatch cottage with single glazing and OCH heavily supplemented by two wood burners. The other is a heavily insulated barn conversion built seven years ago with an air source heat pump and a wood burner (never used).

“The cottage heating bills are negligible as I mainly keep the thermostats at 16 degrees and firewood is free apart from my labour.

“The barn, lived in by a relation is kept at 24 degrees year round which the air source heat pump copes with and is quiet in summer, early autumn and late spring. However, in a cold winter, the pump can howl like a small jet engine as it struggles to maintain heat. Electric bills were also very high until we installed a 26 panel solar array in a paddock.

“In conclusion, I wouldn’t go near a ASHP in an existing house unless it had high levels of insulation. In the country at least, they are best used as background heat supplemented by a wood burner. In an old leaky listed cottage like ours I’ll stick to my oil boiler and wood burners thank you.

“As an aside, our oil boiler is 20 years old and has cost nothing in repairs but annual maintenance. The cottage ASHP is only seven years old and only last week needed a new fan motor which cost £1,100 to replace.”

This poll has been running since August 2023

‘They sound like the funnels on a cross Channel ferry’

Mrs Parkin: “I had one installed five years ago by my landlord. It had to be re-sited because the next door neighbour (detached) found it too noisy in their bedroom that overlooks our garden. They do sound like the funnels on a cross Channel ferry. Usually in winter, but not at the moment, as we are suffering from a second breakdown of it. Problem with the pressure so suspecting there is a leak somewhere. When they do work it doesn’t make the house toasty. The house was built in 1979 and still has the original windows. I have done my best to put draft excluder tape on them but really it isn’t efficient and we need the fire and electric heaters too. Buyer beware!”

‘I was looking at a heat pump installation for my detached house but failed the decibel level’

Mark Searle: “I was looking at a heat pump installation for my detached house but failed the decibel level by a small margin and would require planning permission. I decided not to go ahead with the project because of the uncertainties of the outcome & additional cost of planning permission, so I had a gas boiler fitted instead.”

‘Our neighbour’s unit just throws out a really annoying tumble drier hum most of the time’

D Trevelyan: “The decibel threshold should be measured at the nearest point of recreational use. We live in a rural area but by sitting on a sidewall our neighbour’s unit just throws out a really annoying tumble drier hum most of the time. The only consolation is that I know they regret getting rid of their oil boiler.”

What is your experience like living with a heat pump? Let us know in the comments section below