A man claims he is facing a £7,000 energy bill after switching to a £27,000 Government-backed green heating system.
Officials are currently giving grants for up to £5,000 to home owners who replace their gas central heating and hot water system with a heat pump.
Steve Mason, 58, spent thousands on his brand new system - but says his bills have rocketed despite his thermostat being set at just 17 degrees.
A heat pump captures heat from outside and moves it into your home. They can also be run on renewably generated electricity, making them carbon neutral.
Steve, who started using the system in July and lives in Harlaxton, Lincolnshire, 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 out 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 who can afford the figure in my head and joint incomes of me and my wife are nowhere near."
The company director said there are some positive aspects of investing in the air pump – if you can afford it.
"I could say we are using some green non-polluting energy and Greta Thunberg will be pleased," he said.
"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 mot 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.
Two other families in his village also have a heat pump are facing similar issues, he said.
One of the families 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," he added.
"But my wife and I are struggling to see how the installation and running costs of the system makes economic and functional sense."
The Mirror has contacted the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for comment.
