Man ‘facing £7,000 energy bill’ after switching to £25,000 government-backed ‘green’ heat pump

Steve Mason, 58, spent thousands on the new system and says he has seen his bills rocket despite his thermostat being set at just 17 degrees

A man claims he is facing a £7,000 energy bill after replacing his heating system with a £25,000 Government-backed ‘green’ heat pump.

Officials are currently providing grants for up to £5,000 to home owners who remove a gas central heating and hot water system and replace it with a heat pump.

But the new system, backed by many in the green lobby, has apparently left many UK homeowners in the cold.

Steve Mason, 58, spent thousands on the new system and says he has seen his bills rocket despite his thermostat being set at just 17 degrees.

Based on the same technology as refrigerators, the air pump pulls heat out from outside air and into the house, and can be run on renewably generated electricity, making them carbon neutral.

However with the highest electricity prices and the least insulated homes in Europe, early adopters are counting the cost of going green.

Steve, a company director from Harlaxton, Lincolnshire, who started using the system in July said: “The equipment cost £17,000, then there was the installation so add another £10,000 at least.

“We moved back into the house in July when the weather was warm. In the summer months our monthly bills are roughly £280 per month, spring and autumn will be about £500 per month and winter months about £850.

“Then a yearly total will be about £6,000 to £7,000. My electric deal ends in March, so my tariff will increase.

“We could therefore be paying, well I don’t really want to think about it.

‘’Only the stupendously wealthy can afford the figure in my head, and the joint incomes of me and my wife are nowhere near.

When asked about the positive aspects of investing in the air pump, Steve added: “I could say we are using some green non-polluting energy and Greta Thunberg will be pleased.

“However, as we have set the room temperatures to 17 degrees to save money and it’s minus three outside, we have a log burner chomping its way through a forest and sending smoke up the chimney - the irony should not be lost here.”

Steve predicts that his electricity bill for this month alone could reach £1,000, while his annual bill would be roughly double the price of his previous set-up.

He received £5,000 from the government as a grant for the pump, but still cannot see the economic viability of the switch.

He says two other families in his village who also have a heat pump are facing similar issues, one of which is having to use two log burning stoves alongside their pump during colder days.

“We thought that since the government are championing Air Source Heat Pumps as one of the ‘green’ ways forward then this is the avenue we would go down.

“But my wife and I are struggling to see how the installation and running costs of the system makes economic and functional sense.”

SWNS has contacted a government spokesperson for comment.