We’ve added episode 3 today: How to Get the Ideal Heat Pump Installation

I don't seem to be able to locate the episode 2 podcast, but I can only assume it is on similar lines to episodes 1 & 3.

I appreciate that your objective is to try to help prospective heat pump purchaser's to navigate the present minefield surrounding the industry.

If I were new to the forum, and knew nothing about heat pumps, I'm afraid that the content of the present podcasts would not encourage me to even consider moving from oil or even gas to a heat pump based heating system.

Please consider what you are trying to achieve, since at the moment I am hearing.

MCS certification is not worth the paper upon which it is written.

Only 10% of prospective installers appear to know what they are doing and can be trusted.

You may need, and struggle to get, planning permission.

Expect a great deal of upheaval within your home.

Once installed there is the possibility that a heat pump will not perform as envisaged.

Don't expect the powers that be to help if things go wrong.

A heat pump will probably cost more to install and also may cost more to run.

@derek-m thanks for the feedback. We are massive advocates of heat pumps and they are the future of home heating as we try to decarbonise home heating.

Our message is to amplify that there are some shockingly bad, incompetent installers out there. People are spending thousands of pounds to do the right thing and they are getting appalling installations, which we’re fed up with, and the installers the ones lining their pockets. I get scores of DMs and emails a month from so many desperate homeowners (only a fraction end up coming to the forums) that have spent savings on getting the systems fitted, and they are expensive to run and are not heating the home.

So the message is heat pumps 100% work, but they don’t work when they installed badly. We’re not discouraging anyone from putting in a heat pump. We’re encouraging them to find a competent installer to design and fit the system.

Posted by: @derek-m

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MCS certification is not worth the paper upon which it is written.

Only 10% of prospective installers appear to know what they are doing and can be trusted.

You may need and struggle to get planning permission.

Expect a great deal of upheaval within your home.

Once installed there is the possibility that a heat pump with not perform as envisaged.

Don't expect the powers that be to help if things go wrong.

A heat pump will probably cost more to install and also may cost more to run.

I think it’s only fair if you’re going to part with £5,000-£15,000+ that you are aware of the reality on the ground. I think the above points have all been repeatedly raised on these forums and they are problematic. There’s nothing new there. The industry has a lot of work to do to fix this mess because there’s already a massive market for installers to fix tens of thousands of botched installations, and it’s only getting worse, which is ridiculous.That is the sad reality.

@editor As I listened to the third podcast this morning, I kept thinking that I must have been fortunate as I experienced a good installation and have very good results from the system throughout the winter. There again, maybe I have been fortunate because I spent a great deal of time and effort researching what I thought that I required to provide me with what I wanted. I spent about a year researching and contacted 21 companies in total.

Had Octopus Energy been able to provide the system and installation I preferred, I would have gone with them in the first place. However, due to their newness to heat pump systems, they were still working on a narrow range of scenarios and could not accommodate my wishes. I am forever grateful to their two engineers who each spent 3 hours surveying the house and grounds and provided me with a great deal of information to assist me refine my plans.

I contacted 20 other companies subsequently, many did not even bother to reply, others told me they weren’t able to install in my area and I ended up with 5 on my shortlist. One of these provided me with a quote after just a few emails and me filling in a very brief form - they were removed from my list!!! One company did a five minute survey - told me what they might install and no further discussion! Three companies remained and I had 3 installers come and survey, discuss my needs further etc. I chose from these and made a good decision I feel.

This took a great deal of effort and time on my part and I don’t feel that others should necessarily have to go through this sort of exercise in an endeavour to make the right choice and enjoy a good installation. The MCS and other bodies should be ensuring that ‘Joe Public’ will be safe and that there are effective safeguards in place when things do go wrong.

Being a Scrooge with attitude, I was not prepared to spend so much money from life savings without feeling I had done my utmost to ensure I was making a wise investment in equipment and installers. I am also a nerd of the first order and being retired, was able to indulge myself in what I will admit was an enjoyable exercise! My installation is rather unusual in several respects and at least one prospective installer was not willing to carry out such a job and another admitted they had no experience or confidence in the Sunamp Thermino equipment.

Mars, many points you made should provide ‘Joe Public’ with an awareness of what to consider before embarking on such a project; however, the non technical amongst us should have the right to be able to entrust the job to others with the necessary knowledge and skills to act in their best interest. Idealism? possibly, Desirability? Definitely! Regards, Toodles. 

Posted by: @editor

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We’ve added episode 3 today: How to Get the Ideal Heat Pump Installation

The video seems to be stuck on some sort of title slide.