Do all heating engineers hate heat pumps? It isn’t true that all heating engineers hate heat pumps. Sadly for the future of the industry it’s a high percentage.
Many hate them from their experience of customers complaining about badly installed systems. Some hate them because they don’t understand them
Heating engineers are split into three groups:
- The old ways are the best (floor standing gas boiler, open system with hot water tank).
- Open minded but they’ve seen so many bad heat pump systems they know the possible problems.
- The new ways are the best. Totally sure heat pumps are better than any other heating system.
Heat pumps are a specialised form of heating. Compared to a gas combi boiler they are complicated to install and difficult to set up correctly.
Gas combi boilers can be installed badly and they will only be 5-10% less efficient. Even when running on the least efficient setting they still heat the house well.
If a heat pump is installed badly it is a different story. They go from 300% (or 400%) efficient to roughly 100% efficient. This is the same as storage heaters or an electric fan heater.
That has a massive effect on the customers bills and more importantly their view of the installer. A bad combi install would barely be noticed. A bad heat pump install would put a customer in fuel poverty .
So why do heating engineers hate heat pumps?
The simple answer is they are harder than combi boilers to install. The potential for customer complaints is much higher. Why would an average heating engineer open themselves up to a much harder life installing heat pumps. They could fit one combi 5 days a week and make a similar amount of money?
Why do some heating engineers love heat pumps? Because they are challenging to get right and when they work, they work really well. They are the future.
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