By Paul Homewood
h/t Paul Kolk
The Telegraph have a sob story about heat pumps:
“Peter and Anne Watts made headlines when they became one of around four British households to have an air-source heat pump fitted in 2008.
That Mr and Mrs Watts, 88 and 82 respectively, had installed a heat pump a decade before the likes of Boris Johnson seized upon them as the future of home heating was highly unusual.
“We had a reporter up from the local paper asking us about our solar panels and our heat pump,” recalls Mr Watts. “In the days afterwards, we got a call from the BBC – I thought it was a prank call from the neighbours.”
Yet 17 years on, the pump is nearing the end of its lifespan – and the price tag for a replacement is £17,000, around £10,000 more than they paid for their original.”
Read the full story here.
The gist of the story is that the government’s £7500 subsidy for heat pumps does not cover ones which replace existing heat pumps.
The idea that it should is frankly ludicrous – when we are all forced to have one, we’ll all end up permanently subsidising our own.
But this story is a timely reminder that heat pumps don’t last forever. Every 15 years or so, you’ll have to fork out another £17000 for a new one.
And if, like this couple, you are retired, just where are you expected to get the money from?