People have reacted angrily to a government video about heat pumps on LinkedIn (Image: Getty)
Earlier this year, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero posted a video on social media platform LinkedIn in which it said that heat pumps were three times more efficient than gas boilers.
The video also encouraged people to upgrade to a heat pump via a ￡7,500 Government grant to make their homes more energy efficient.
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In the weeks since it was uploaded people have reacted angrily to the claim made in the video with some describing their very negative experiences of life with a heat pump.
LinkedIn user Victoria H described how her monthly electricity bill had skyrocketed so much she had fallen ill.
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Several LinkedIn users expressed their outrage at the government's video (Image: Getty)
Victoria wrote: “End of last year I had an air source heat pump system installed via a grant - my monthly winter electric bill went from ￡75 per month to ￡850 per month!
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“Something needs to be done about this mis-selling and misinformation! I am now left with an extortionate electric bill, under the premise of my bills being slashed with this pump, which I can’t pay!
“It has caused me illness and worry for 5 months of my life! I negotiated for 8 weeks with the companies and settled on it being ripped out and my previous perfectly working and adequate oil system replaced back. [sic]”
Simon Bradford added: “The problem I have with this is it is most likely cheaper to run if you have to keep your house warm all the time on conventional systems. We don’t, we put the heating on when and where we need it and due to the high system temperature the space warms quickly.”
The heat pump tsar recently revealed he still uses his gas boiler at home (Image: Getty)
In response to the video, the CEO of EUA (Energy and Utilities Alliance) Mike Foster, told the Express that there were several problems with the advert and the costs associated with converting to heat pumps.
Mr Foster said: “This advert is so misleading. It takes advantage of the fact that consumers are feeling the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis to suggest that a heat pump is a way out for them.
“Firstly, a heat pump can be three times more efficient than a boiler, but the price of electricity is four times that of gas, so the consumer loses out overall.
“In fact, on average switching to a heat pump costs ￡116 or 14 percent more than running a gas boiler.”
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Mr Foster added: “Secondly, the average cost of installing a heat pump is ￡13,339 according to the department that is advertising the ￡7,500 grant. This means that only the wealthy need apply because they must fund the other ￡5,839 themselves.
“And that grant is limited to a first come first served basis with funding for just 20,000 homes. Taking the two together truthfully, the advert should say 'pay an extra ￡5,839 upfront to increase your bills by ￡116 a year!'
“That’s not a great sales pitch. No wonder the Minister in charge of the policy has kept his gas boiler.”
Outrage of the latest advert for heat pumps comes days after it was revealed that less than half of the 600,000 the government pledged to install had been fitted.
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In a statement, a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: "Independent research shows heat pumps are three times more efficient than gas boilers. We are taking a more pragmatic approach and helping families, rather than forcing them to make the switch with grants of ￡7,500 – the most generous of its kind in Europe – which means heat pumps can now be installed for less than ￡500.
"Heat pumps will reduce the UK’s dependence on imported gas, support locally generated renewable energy and help households cut their emissions."
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