Heat pump installations in Europe broke new records in 2022, according to the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA). Yet the UK still lags behind almost every other European country in terms of volume of installations. Here, one satisfied customer reveals their heat pump story.
The EHPA has reported that, perhaps surprisingly, France and Italy lead the way in the number of heat pumps sold in Europe last year, with 621,000 and 513,000 respectively. Given that these countries both have similar population counts to the UK, the number of units sold here is extremely low – just 55,000 in the same period, significantly behind than the Government’s target of 600,000 installations per year, every year, from now until 2028.
If the UK press is to be believed, having a heat pump installed is nothing but trouble. However, one HIES installer customer, Mark Milton-Edwards, tells us about his positive experience throughout the process of installing a heat pump in his home, and the benefits it has brought.
Research the technology!
Mr Milton-Edwards recently decided to swap his old boiler for a heat pump, with both environmental and financial benefits in mind, but didn’t know much about them. He did his own research first by looking in detail on the internet, reading articles and watching numerous YouTube videos. Once armed with more knowledge, and when he started the process of asking for quotes, he had the opportunity to ask more questions to build upon his own understanding and was able to build excel spreadsheets to compare the different quotes. This process was key to being able to make a final buying decision.
Choose your installer wisely
Worryingly, the first three (non-HIES) installers Mr Milton-Edwards approached all had to be rejected by the customer. Two of them provided ‘dodgy’ calculations and the third was unable to proceed with an installation due to the size and age of his house. He then turned to HIES on recommendation of the third company, to find his installer, knowing that all HIES installers have been vetted before they can become members. As a homeowner, Mr Milton-Edwards was also protected by the free dispute resolution process, access to an Ombudsman should he need it, and a consumer advice line to help him navigate this new type of technology for his home.
Mr Milton-Edwards describes his installer, PuraFlow, as ‘excellent…the most knowledgeable company as any I’d seen.” To start the installation, the company did a pre-install analysis and answered any questions that Mr Milton-Edwards had and added small elements to make the system perform to its optimum. The installation itself had been well planned so disruption on the day was kept to a minimum.
It’s never too late
After his positive experience with the installation, Mr Milton-Edwards has had the opportunity to assess the impact on the household. He’s stopped worrying about heating bills and is seeing lower energy costs to run his home, and has noticed that the payback time is less than he had originally thought. His final comment is that he now has peace of mind and as he says, “I should have done it years ago.”
While Mr Milton-Edwards had a positive experience and is benefiting from the results, one thing his story shows is the difficulty in finding information and sourcing suppliers. The EHPA is an informative place to start in terms of explaining the technology, and HIES accredits members for anyone looking to investigate a heat pump for their home. If other European countries can see such a huge uptake in adopting heat pumps, it suggests there are huge opportunities still waiting to be exploited in the UK.
If you are an installer and would like to be part of the HIES network, or if you are looking to diversify into heat pump installations, speak to the team at HIES. If you are a homeowner looking to decarbonise your home and lower your energy bills, HIES has a network of installers who can help.
