Posted by: @gunboatdiplomat

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I got a quote via the Heat Geek upgrades scheme, the guarantee was a factor in doing that vs just contacting an installer off the heat geek map. 

Was it eye-watering? 🫣 

I emailed a 'local independent installer' this morning but even if they have capacity I'm fairly sure I won't be able to afford them. But I feel feeble limiting myself to BG & Octopus. 

@editor, @lucia my proposal was approx £7300 after the BUS including a 7kW Vaillant heat pump, 180L slimline cylinder, 8 radiator changes and some adjustments to the pipework.

The desktop price was £7700ish and came down after the survey as I needed fewer rad changes. 

For comparison octopus were £5800 (6 rad changes, 50C flow temp) and two other quotes were £7200 (ideal heat pump, no rad changes, 50C flow temp) and "about £6000 excl radiators" (ecodan, didn't get a full survey done as they were adamant they'd need a LLH).

So via heat geek where more expensive but not 10k more expensive than comparable quotes. Of all the quotes I was most happy with the heat geek - had a lot more confidence they knew what they were doing.

I do feel all the quotes were overpriced for the work, especially as it's all without VAT and is a big factor in not going ahead at this time. 

@gunboatdiplomat thank you for this. It really helps to see what other people are quoted. 

My Octopus quote (which is supposed to be fixed) is £3,036 that was issued before the survey. 

So far I'm really impressed with the installation team but I think the 'suggested' 4kw Daikin is both too small and is not very efficient when it comes to modulation.

They've offered 2 tiny rad changes to K2s and want to leave my 2 big and very old type 11s and a small Type 21 and another type 11 in the kitchen that hasn't worked for years ("oh it's probably only a valve...") I don't need any pipe adjustments - I'm a super easy install. 

I have to supply my own 2 panel designer radiator for the bathroom (I don't mind - I don't want some bog standard white clunky K2). 

But..... that's only a verbal, they haven't had the design meeting yet and thus I haven't had a written heat loss report and spec. I'm hoping they take on board my comments and at least up the pump to the 6kw & preferably improve on the rads. 

The mad thing is I have a big collection of thermal images that show how useless my (very old) cavity wall insulation is in places and the heat loss survey ignored them. It's very tick box. 

So £7500 grant plus £3k so £10.5k for a £2000 heat pump, bits of pipe and insulation, a £1000 cylinder, and couple of £100 radiators and installation, sounds a bargain. Not.

This topic has recently hit the news

https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2024/08/27/sse-claims-constraint-payments-consumers/#:~:text=SSE%20claims%20£2m%20in,Shetland%20News

the local MP wants the islanders in fuel poverty to benefit rather than the turbines stop generating 

https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2024/09/04/prime-minister-says-constraint-payments/  

are there many examples of the claimed “gaming of the system”?

I am aware of previous mis-claims for constraint payments being exposed but can’t refind them.

REF a charity are quoted and they are new to me. I’m looking at their website but haven’t found their biases yet https://www.ref.org.uk/about-ref Are they well known to others here?

An interview with Gregg Jackson, well worth the 70 minutes; a number of topics discussed in this forum are raised.

Regards, Toodles.

In a move that potentially promises to benefit homeowners across the UK, NIBE has announced a partnership with British Gas. The collaboration aims to strengthen the service and maintenance network for NIBE heat pumps, ensuring faster response times, broader coverage and improved support for customers.

With over 40,000 NIBE heat pumps already installed in the UK, demand for reliable servicing and maintenance is growing rapidly. This partnership will see British Gas become an approved NIBE service partner, providing homeowners with access to a larger network of trained engineers.

What This Means for Homeowners

For homeowners with NIBE heat pumps, this partnership brings several key benefits:

• Faster Response Times: With British Gas engineers joining the NIBE service network, callouts and servicing requests will be handled more quickly.
• Broader Coverage: The collaboration expands the geographical reach of NIBE’s service network, ensuring more homeowners can access support when needed.
• Improved Spare Parts Availability: Installers and homeowners will benefit from better access to spare parts, reducing downtime for repairs.

NIBE’s existing team of field service engineers will continue to operate as usual, maintaining the high standards of service customers expect.

Training and Expertise

A key part of the partnership involves training British Gas engineers to service and maintain NIBE heat pumps. This initiative not only enhances the skills of one of the UK’s largest energy service providers but also ensures that homeowners receive expert care for their heating systems.

Paul Smith, Managing Director of NIBE UK, commented: “Ensuring robust service and support is crucial as we transition to sustainable heating. This partnership allows us to scale up our service capabilities while maintaining the high standards we are known for.”

Supporting the UK’s Net Zero Goals

The collaboration aligns with the UK government’s push towards low-carbon heating solutions and the Warm Homes Promise. By improving the availability and quality of heat pump servicing, NIBE and British Gas are helping to make sustainable heating more accessible and reliable for homeowners.

Mark Berryman, Managing Director at British Gas Services, added: “This partnership will allow us to provide even more homeowners with the reassurance of expert servicing and maintenance. As the UK moves towards net zero, collaborations like this are essential for delivering a greener future.”

I noticed this Telegraph article on my news feed yesterday:

QUOTE

Peter and Anne Watts made headlines when they became one of around four British households to have an air-source heat pump fitted in 2008.

That Mr and Mrs Watts, 88 and 82 respectively, had installed a heat pump a decade before the likes of Boris Johnson seized upon them as the future of home heating was highly unusual.

“We had a reporter up from the local paper asking us about our solar panels and our heat pump,” recalls Mr Watts. “In the days afterwards, we got a call from the BBC – I thought it was a prank call from the neighbours.”

Yet 17 years on, the pump is nearing the end of its lifespan – and the price tag for a replacement is £17,000, around £10,000 more than they paid for their original.

UNQUOTE

£17k sounds a lot for new ASHP.  It was on the Money pages, so possibly not written by anyone with relevant experience or knowledge.

Interesting @downfield

I suspect the Telegraph has published that story a couple of days early.

I would expect to read about Mr & Mrs Watts' heat-pump in an article dated 1st April.

@transparent Ha!  well spotted