A man says he is facing £7,000 energy bills after he replaced his heating system. Steve Mason, 58, from Lincolnshire, installed a £25,000 'green' heat pump which is backed by the Government.
Grants are currently being provided for homeowners to remove gas central heating and hot water systems and replace it with a heat pump. Homeowners can get up to £5,000.
Yet, Lincolnshire Live reports the new system has left many in the cold. Mr Mason spent thousands on his new system but has seen his bills rise even further, even though his thermostat is on 17 degrees.
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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, 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 £6k to £7k. 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 and 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 the cold 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." The government has been asked for a comment.
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