{"id":370763,"date":"2025-03-18T10:42:30","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T09:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=370763"},"modified":"2025-03-18T10:42:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T09:42:32","slug":"how-a-heat-pump-destroyed-one-consumers-perfect-energy-rating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=370763","title":{"rendered":"How a Heat Pump Destroyed One Consumer\u2019s Perfect Energy Rating"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From The Daily Sceptic<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

by\u00a0Sallust<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0Telegraph\u00a0<\/em>has been running a number of repent-at-leisure heat pump stories, and this\u00a0latest one<\/a>\u00a0is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter Colin Ferguson of Perthshire in Scotland who seems to be the embodiment of a Net Zero politician\u2019s dream. He\u2019s done it all with a ground-up rebuild of his detached house, incidentally just the sort of project that 99% of the British population couldn\u2019t possibly afford:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The renovation, for which Mr Ferguson, now 74, was involved in the labour, was completed in 2013. An energy assessor assigned a perfect efficiency score of 100, placing it in a band typically reserved for new builds. On the certificate, seen by the Telegraph<\/em>, under suggested \u201ccost-effective improvements\u201d it simply read: \u201cnot applicable\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Mr Ferguson installed a heat pump \u2013 and his perfect energy rating went up in smoke.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It seems Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) have a nasty habit of going out of date:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The retired insurance claims manager and his wife, Sue, had wanted to replace their oil-fired boiler with a heat pump, using \u00a39,500 worth of Government funding. This would require obtaining a new energy performance certificate (EPC) after the heat pump was installed, as their previous one was due to expire.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Not only that, the new one can downgrade the house:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The certificates have been criticised in the past for their inconsistency. Assessors often rely on guesswork to work out a property\u2019s efficiency level, and some have been known to wrongly estimate a property\u2019s floor area by tens of square metres. Heat pumps, while greener, can often incur households higher bills. In some cases, they have hurt rather than help a home\u2019s EPC score, as the certificates currently reward lower bills over carbon emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat really annoyed me was the little man who came in an Audi A8 to do the assessment,\u201d Mr Ferguson recalls. \u201cIn he waltzed. I had all the documentation from the original build \u2013 reams of stuff \u2013 and he took one look at it and said, \u2018I don\u2019t need any of that\u2019. Had it not been for the fact we\u2019d applied for a grant to put a heat pump in he\u2019d have been out the door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incredulously [the Telegraph <\/em>probably means \u2018Incredibly\u2019 here], Mr Ferguson\u2019s new EPC assessment had fallen to 74, placing it in the C band. The total floor area of the house also appeared to shrink between assessments \u2013 from 331 square metres to 279, the equivalent of three large bedrooms.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This can have a drastic impact on the house\u2019s value, regardless of the house\u2019s efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

It\u2019s not that Mr Ferguson\u2019s home has become less efficient, or less green, in the 10 years between assessments \u2013 far from it. The property makes use of solar feed-in tariffs, and as a result Mr Ferguson\u2019s home generates more energy than it consumes, turning his bill into a profit. Mr Ferguson\u2019s bills show the retiree spends about \u00a31,300 a year on electricity for his home and electric car, which is entirely offset by the \u00a32,000 he makes selling surplus power back to the grid at times of high demand.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It appears that the way EPCs are assessed is fluctuating. Two different companies carried out Mr Ferguson\u2019s EPCs. Elmhurst Energy carried out the latest one and suggested only one possible improvement \u2013 a wind turbine costing \u00a315,000\u201325,000 \u2013 which would save \u00a31,100 per annum (supposedly). The real point is that \u2013 guess what? \u2013 it seems the goalposts are being constantly moved:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Elmhurst Energy said the methodology of energy assessments had changed \u201cmany times\u201d since 2013, and now accounts for more up-to-date fuel prices, carbon emissions and other technologies used in modern homes such as battery storage and heating controls. The company added that since EPCs still reward low bills over carbon emissions, the green taxes applied to electricity mean switching to a heat pump disadvantages homes \u201cdespite the fact they are better for the environment\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To add insult to injury, the heat pump that Mr Ferguson had wanted in the first place does not work as well as he had hoped it would. The installers, Mr Ferguson says, were flummoxed by his unique home. Now, like several other heat pump owners, Mr Ferguson and his wife rely on a wood stove in the winter months to keep warm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo be fair to the chap, all these EPC companies use a particular system,\u201d says Mr Ferguson. \u201cAll they do is pump the information into some algorithm and it comes up with the certificate. The assessor just gets prompted with questions and puts in an answer, like a primary school kid ticking boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So, there you have it \u2013 a Mickey Mouse system on the level of a small child\u2019s school exercise lying behind a policy being used to coerce the whole population into vastly expensive changes to their homes. A spokesperson for the company tried to soften the blow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cEPCs do change over time as the methodologies improve. Since 2013, they now account for new fuel prices, carbon emissions and low carbon technologies. The home\u2019s score is actually a good score for what is now a 12-year-old property, even though it may have been built above the minimum regulations at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

If it wasn\u2019t for the drastic consequences of the Net Zero policy for industry and the nation\u2019s economy, the story would be an amusing one. As it stands, it\u2019s painfully easy to see why fewer and fewer people are going to risk the huge cost and disruption of installing a heat pump if it means risking their properties becoming less saleable and still requiring other forms of heating to make them habitable, while funding the EPC assessor job creation scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worth reading in full<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Telegraph\u00a0has been running a number of repent-at-leisure heat pump stories, and this\u00a0latest one\u00a0is no exception.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":370764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691819180,691822322,691819262,691818198,691818154,691819094],"class_list":{"0":"post-370763","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-energy-costs","9":"tag-energy-performance-certificates-epcs","10":"tag-green-agenda","11":"tag-heat-pumps","12":"tag-net-zero","13":"tag-renewable-green-energy","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Screenshot-2025-03-17-154725.jpeg?fit=1265%2C660&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1ys3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":291815,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=291815","url_meta":{"origin":370763,"position":0},"title":"Government will hit target of 600,000 annual heat pump installations, insists\u00a0minister","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"18\/12\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Britain will hit the target of installing 600,000 new heat pumps each year, the energy efficiency minister Lord Callanan has insisted today, as the Government announced a boost to the scheme.","rel":"","context":"In \"heat pump\"","block_context":{"text":"heat pump","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=heat-pump"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0Cloud-Cuckoo-Land.webp?fit=1200%2C832&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0Cloud-Cuckoo-Land.webp?fit=1200%2C832&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0Cloud-Cuckoo-Land.webp?fit=1200%2C832&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0Cloud-Cuckoo-Land.webp?fit=1200%2C832&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0Cloud-Cuckoo-Land.webp?fit=1200%2C832&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":423855,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=423855","url_meta":{"origin":370763,"position":1},"title":"Dale Vince: \u2018Heat pumps have been\u00a0mis-sold\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"30\/01\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Dale Vince, a leading Labour donor, said that\u00a0heat pumps don\u2019t \u201csave you money\u201d\u00a0as he criticised the \u201cmis-selling\u201d of the devices.","rel":"","context":"In \"Dale Vince\"","block_context":{"text":"Dale Vince","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=dale-vince"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-Dale-Vince-and-heat-pumps.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-Dale-Vince-and-heat-pumps.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-Dale-Vince-and-heat-pumps.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0-Dale-Vince-and-heat-pumps.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":381377,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=381377","url_meta":{"origin":370763,"position":2},"title":"Miliband poised to scrap 600,000-a-year heat pump target","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The previous government declared that from 2028, 600,000 heat pumps would be installed every year in British homes as part of the drive towards net zero.","rel":"","context":"In \"Department for Energy and Net Zero (Desnz)\"","block_context":{"text":"Department for Energy and Net Zero (Desnz)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=department-for-energy-and-net-zero-desnz"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-4.-Juni-2025-11_49_15.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-4.-Juni-2025-11_49_15.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-4.-Juni-2025-11_49_15.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-4.-Juni-2025-11_49_15.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":400823,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=400823","url_meta":{"origin":370763,"position":3},"title":"Taxpayers Forked Out \u00a3700 Million For Heat Pump Subsidies In Last\u00a0Year","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/09\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Energy Secretary spends more on net zero push than savings from cutting winter fuel payment","rel":"","context":"In \"Energy Secretary Ed Miliband\"","block_context":{"text":"Energy Secretary Ed Miliband","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=energy-secretary-ed-miliband"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ChatGPT-Image-4.-Juni-2025-11_48_51.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ChatGPT-Image-4.-Juni-2025-11_48_51.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ChatGPT-Image-4.-Juni-2025-11_48_51.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ChatGPT-Image-4.-Juni-2025-11_48_51.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":371065,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=371065","url_meta":{"origin":370763,"position":4},"title":"The real reason why heat pumps are eye-wateringly expensive","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"20\/03\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Generous grants do little to curb climbing costs \u2013 and allow installers to cash in.","rel":"","context":"In \"Energy Utilities Alliance\"","block_context":{"text":"Energy Utilities Alliance","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=energy-utilities-alliance"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-522.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-522.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-522.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-522.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=370763"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370763\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":370767,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370763\/revisions\/370767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/370764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=370763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=370763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=370763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}