“Heat pumps: you risk being cold!”, The monthly 60 million consumers publishes a study on Thursday which denounces problems of installation and operation during the installation of heat pumps, calling for vigilance. The magazine details in a ten-page file the “testimonies of dissatisfied consumers” who fail to collect the aid announced and “find themselves paying for their installation much more than expected”.
To carry out this dossier, the media relied on a study of owners wishing to equip themselves with a new heating system. Six heat pump installers were approached, “but the proposals they (the owners, editor’s note) received were not satisfactory. Only one installer has done a serious job”, underlines the article which opens the file. “Some find that their electricity consumption is increasing and that the announced savings are not there; still others are cold during their first or second winter with their heat pump,” reports the monthly.
To avoid these malfunctions, the magazine recalls that “the installers selected must have the Recognized Guarantor of the Environment (RGE) mention for the installation of a heat pump”, otherwise the financial aid offered by the State is not not accessible. Other advice: do not sign an estimate before an on-site visit, if a maintenance contract is offered it is a “good sign” and “The professional must go through all the rooms, check their insulation” and not carry out “visits expeditious”.
The market for heat pumps, one of which costs on average between 5,000 and 8,000 euros, is growing rapidly but is subject to increasing cases of scams. Dozens of cases have been reported to the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF). Since January 1, 2022, regulations prohibit gas-only heating solutions in new homes. The ban will be imposed on collective housing in 2025, when only hybrid solutions will be authorized, integrating an electric heat pump or a thermodynamic water heater.
