British Gas promises to PAY BACK households if a heat pump installed by the energy giant doesn’t heat the house as well as a standard boiler
- British Gas offers new promise for warm home with heat pump installation
- He only installs a heat pump if he heats both a house and a traditional boiler
- Part of a wider initiative to boost heat pump adoption in the UK
British Gas is now promising customers a refund if a heat pump it installs doesn’t heat the home as effectively as a traditional gas boiler.
It’s part of a new warm home pledge launched today by the energy giant to encourage households to move to it heat pumps from traditional gas boilers.
British Gas says it will not install a heat pump if it cannot effectively heat a home on the coldest days. Instead, it will propose another carbon-saving option.
British Gas gives you your money back if a heat pump doesn’t heat your home as well as a traditional gas boiler
If the heat pump, once installed, does not heat the house to the agreed temperature, British Gas will refund the cost of the heat pump.
The new pledge comes after a new report suggests a government scheme to subsidize the replacement of gas boilers with electric heat pumps could run out of money by 2024 – years ahead of schedule.
What does British Gas offer?
The offer includes a five-year warranty with a technician providing a free winter service to ensure the heat pump remains in good working order.
British Gas also claims to offer the lowest cost installation, with prices starting at £499 in Scotland and £2,999 in the rest of Britain.
It also matches any lower grade offered by another company for an MCS accredited installation.
On the day of installation, says British Gas, an installer will show you how to use your heat pump in the best possible way – and check in a few days later to make sure everything is running smoothly.
The temperature to which the heat pump is to heat the house is agreed between the engineer performing the installation and the customer, according to British Gas.
If the heat pump fails to reach this agreed temperature, British Gas will look into any repairs or repairs that are required.
If that doesn’t fix the problem, it offers a full refund.
British Gas claims to have installed more heat pumps than any other company with 3,500 installations.
Andrew Middleton, managing director of British Gas: ‘We only install a heat pump if it works as well as a traditional boiler.
“And if for some reason a customer’s heat pump doesn’t heat their home as expected, we guarantee they’ll get their money back.
‘For the right home, heat pumps are a very efficient and effective heating solution, with an efficiency of typically 350 percent compared to the best boilers at 90 – 95 percent.’
Mike Foster, CEO of the Energy and Utilities Alliance, says some homes just aren’t right for heat pumps.
He said: ‘Four to five million modern homes have microbore pipes to move heat between the boiler and radiators. That doesn’t work well with a heat pump.’
In tests of government heat pumps, 93 percent of homes needed new radiators and 81 percent needed a new hot water tank, driving up costs.