British Gas promises heat pump refunds if they’re not better than a standard boiler

British Gas is now promising customers a refund if a heat pump it installs doesn’t warm the house as effectively as a traditional gas boiler.

It’s part of a new warm home promise launched by the energy giant today in a bid to encourage households to move to heat pumps from traditional gas boilers.

British Gas says it won’t install a heat pump if it can’t heat a home effectively on the coldest days. Instead, it will suggest a different carbon-saving option.

British Gas will give you your money back if a heat pump does not heat your home as well as a traditional gas boiler 

Once installed, if the heat pump doesn’t heat the home to the temperature agreed British Gas will give refund the cost of the heat pump.

The new promise comes after a new report suggests that a government scheme to subsidise replacing gas boilers with electric heat pumps could run out of cash by 2024 – years ahead of schedule.

What is British Gas offering?

The offer includes a five-year guarantee with an engineer to provide a free service before the winter to ensure the heat pump is in working order.    

British Gas also claim to offer the lowest cost install, with prices starting at £499 in Scotland and £2,999 in the rest of Britain.

It will also match any lower figure offered by another company for a MCS accredited install. 

On the day of installation, British Gas say an installer will show you how to operate your heat pump in the best way possible – and check in a few days later to make sure everything is running smoothly.

The temperature the heat pump should heat the house to is agreed between the engineer doing the install and the customer, according to British Gas. 

If the heat pump doesn’t meet this agreed temperature, British Gas will look at any repairs or fixes needed.

If that doesn’t resolve the problem, it will then offer a full refund. 

British Gas claims to have installed more heat pumps than any other company at 3,500 installations.

Andrew Middleton, managing director of British Gas, said: ‘We will only install a heat pump if it will work as well as a traditional boiler. 

‘And if for any reason a customer’s heat pump is not heating their home as expected, we’ll guarantee them their money back.

‘For the right home, heat pumps are a highly efficient and effective heating solution being typically 350 per cent efficient compared to the best boilers at 90 – 95 per cent.’

Mike Foster, chief executive of the Energy and Utilities Alliance, argues some homes are just not suitable for heat pumps.

He said: ‘Four to five million modern homes have microbore piping to move heat between the boiler and radiators. This does not work effectively with a heat pump.’

During government heat pump trials, 93 per cent of homes needed new radiators and 81 per cent needed a new hot water tank, adding to costs. 

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk