Heat pump (air- or ground-source)

Electric backup heating; efficient but adds a powered, less-repairable component (cross-ref power dependency).

Cost

High

Upkeep

Seasonal

Skill to build

Specialist

Lifespan

10-15 years typical, up to 20 for well-maintained units; ground-source loops themselves can last 30+ years even as the heat-pump unit is replaced

Embodied carbon

Medium

Space / material use

Low

Output timing

On-demand/controllable

Skill to repair

Specialist

Note: Cost, carbon and footprint are rated against the other options for this same need, not in absolute terms.

Inputs

• AC Electricity
• DC Electricity

Outputs

• Heat

Sources

• Heat pump lifespan industry sources (permies.com heater-lifespan wiki; general HVAC industry consensus)

What this page does not tell you

No sizing or quantities: how much a technique yields, and how much a household needs, both depend on the build and the people, so the catalogue compares options rather than dimensioning them. It carries no bill of materials and no build sequence, and it is written for an oceanic, clay-soil climate (Normandy, France). Regulatory notes are indicative and need confirming locally.