What a fiasco, promised over and over that I could get an interest free loan in Scotland for a GSHP from Home Energy Scotland / Energy saving trust absolute nightmare. The whole system is rigged not to help, limited "approved installers" after many applications and even as far as the money will be in the bank this week, never had a penny. 

The GSHP system they recommended in 2013 is still not right now in 2024 had a second NAPIT inspector this week, awaiting any help from MCS, RECC, all just interested in the fees they get from members.

I could write a book on the fiasco of just getting a heating system and another on the failed grant or loan systems and all the companies who make vast sums stopping people getting help which is money from the government.

,

Not sure how to vote, current install is good, very pleased, but it replaced another that was like a kafka novel.

If you haven’t done so already, please can you vote on this poll, rating how you feel about your heat pump installation? Simply choose the option that matches your experience.

@editor I voted perfect 🙂

With my "installer" being now "STRUCK OFF " for third , and hopefully final time , I am now left with a system with running  costs about twice that of the gas boiler it replaced.

The Heat pump, with an absolute maximum of 3.5 kw power output ( as measured by a Sharky water Power meter)   does not provide enough heat to heat my living room let alone my house when outside temperatures dip below +3 C.

The Water heater , being completely unaffordable, has been replaced by a Electric shower unit, with a kitchen electric under sink water heater to follow.  .

The Heat pump originally "designed" to provide circa 6.5 kW actually  produces between  2kW and  3.5 kW as measured by the Sharky when the outside temperature is less than +3 C.

The Heat pump is "short cycling" with up to 90 oscillations with each oscillation consisting of a 5 minute Running time and a 11 minute Cycling time.

Visits by the "installers" accompanied by an "engineer" from the NIC resulted in the final demise of my "installers" with a final "STRIKE OFF" for fabricating the results of their EPC Certification to justify the Heat pump they finally "installed".

@iantelescope, that’s terrible. What are you going to do? Did you pay in full for the installation?

Well this sounds promising 😱 

@editor 

Reference my appalling "installer" and the NIC "Regulators".

The Money

I initially applied for a grant loan of £9k from the Energy Savings Trust, Scotland, EST Scotland in April 2022.

The very complicated, boring story continues to this day with my "installer" now being STRUCK OFF for the third time.

With my "installer" being STRUCK OFF by the NIC, the EST refused to reimburse me for the Grant/loan until December 2022 when £6K was paid into my bank account covering the initial "installation".

Preparation Costs

My Microbore piping and my Radiators were replaced at a cost , to me, of £3.2k with the gas supply removal costing £922.80 boiler with added insulation costing a further £1500.

Total preparatory costs circa £5.5k.

The NIC

The NIC have, on several occasions, verbally promised to fix and or replace my Heat pump but , in writing the NIC have said that 

" you are not going to like this.................. but

nothing can be done ...........you should seek Legal opinion". December 2023.......

Do it yourself !

I am resigned to fixing this myself, having lost all trust in either the MCS, the NIC or my "installer"!

Help appreciated

I have, however, great respect for the help of my MSP, the EST Scotland and the RECC.

@iantelescope Sounds like you had better luck than me EST / HES caused most of my issues, NAPIT have sent 2 inspectors so far RECC and MCS have done nothing so far, they all seem to protect themselves my MSP and MP tried but was shut down by the Scottish Government's Patrick Harvey Green Party

@jwilliams89 

are Heacol close enough? https://heacol.co.uk And the boss posts in this forum using@heacol

@editor No, Travis Perkins took them to court at the same time as I did and they put the company into insolvency and made the director bankrupt (my court case two days later would have had the same effect).  Long story short MCS are quite hopeless, my installer (and seemingly lots of others), were simply plumbers who know very little about ASHPs but have jumped on the green bandwagon, if you want something sorted go to the courts (it is much easier than you would think), I can pretty much commission Valiant HPs now.  To be fair Valiant themselves throughout have been really good and very supportive.

@witchcraft In england courts seem fine, sadly Scotland seems a lot more complicated, if I was in England I would have put it in court in no time