An eco-friendly housing project shown off to the King as a “great success” has been criticised by residents who claim they have been left freezing from failing heat pumps.
The £3.3 million “energy-efficient” project, the Tomintoul and Glenlivet development in Moray, was visited by Charles in September.
The developer, Alpha Projects, admitted there had been a “manufacturing issue” with the air source heat pump in one property, and said it was “committed to closing out any snagging items in a timely manner”.
Alpha says claims by residents that their heat pumps stop working at -1C are wrong, and that the company “has data to back” their effectiveness down to -25C.
But Morna Martin, 53, said her home was so cold she had to sit underneath a blanket. She told the Daily Mail: “I don’t think they’ve done their homework. We’re the highest village in the north of Scotland and the air pump doesn’t seem compatible with the altitude up here.”
Another tenant told the newspaper that holes drilled into the wall for ventilation were causing drafts, and said: “When the King visited, I wanted to stand outside with a sign saying ‘I’ve got no heating’.”
Air source heat pumps, which extract heat from the outside air, are more environmentally friendly than traditional gas boilers. But residents now say they have had to buy electric and fan heaters and oil-filled radiators.
Heat pumps have been heavily promoted by the Scottish government. Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens and minister for zero carbon buildings, introduced a scheme last year where homeowners can apply for a £7,500 grant to install the device, with an extra £1,500 to those living in rural areas.
The Scottish government’s Rural and Islands Housing Funds helped to fund the 12 properties. A representative said the Communities Housing Trust, working on behalf of the trust behind the homes, “are taking tenants and homeowners concerns seriously and are in contact with regulatory and industry bodies regarding the matters raised”.
Alpha said: “The homes are eco-friendly, complete with photovoltaics, air source heat pump and Sunamp battery. Whilst there has been a manufacturing issue with the air source heat pump in one property, we have been pro-active and attentive addressing this.
“We remain fully engaged to supporting the Communities Housing Trust in their investigations.”
Someone hasn’t done their homework, these are successfully used all over Scandinavia at temperatures at lot more extreme. Either that or Daily Mail shenanigans
I’m sure this ‘lived experience’ will be ignored/mocked/downvoted because of the source of the story.
Something doesn’t add up, these are successfully used in much colder environments than here.
Saying the thing that heating engineers, controls engineers & various other construction doctrines have been saying since air source heat pumps started being pushed. You get a 35-40C LTHW (heating water temp) out of them. When your ambient is 10 degrees and you can scrape a 50C flow temp out of them, they’re sufficient to raise your indoor temp by 20 degrees or so above ambient.
It’s not just about temperature too, humidity has a large effect on their operation, with high humidity reducing the effectiveness. The sub zero 90% humidity’s we get is really poor for them.
The inconvenient truth is ground source really is the only solution that fits the governments goals, but surface field sources are too space inefficient for most developments, and have their own downsides in gardens & the likes, and deep source are simply not economically viable without huge changes in how we do things.
That’s funny, I’ve got an Air source heat pump and it’s been working fine in sub zero temps.
But hey, I’m guessing you’re pushing the anti heat pump story to get at the SNP / Green coalition, eh randomonium?
Scandinavia has cold **but** dry air whereas here we have cool but damp air, i.e. humidity of 85% is very different to high 90s we can get. So the water deposits (desublimates) onto the coils that are well below the dew point, which means more frequent ice build up
Normally the unit should do a defrost cycle to clear this, but if the ice sensor isn’t working or if leaves get in the way (we have deciduous rather than evergreen trees) then the unit can stop working
This is another part of the reason changing from a boiler to a heat pump isn’t a *like-for-like* heat source swap.
Canadian dual national here. I have a heat pump with a backup furnace for when it’s less than -20°. It’s currently -5° and the heat pump is working well. Better than the little oil heater I had in Dundee.
I have an air source heat pump and a gas boiler as well. When the outside temp falls below about 6C the gas boiler kicks in automatically because the heat pump won’t be enough. I live in an old house and what can be done with insulation is limited.
I have a wood burning stove as well which isn’t used very much.
A heat pump should definitely work in below zero temps. I think they might mean the heat output is not sufficient.
Are the heatpumps garbage? I live where it gets to minus 40 in the winter….the house we moved to had an old,undersized mini split and it still worked up to around -10 to -15.
Waiting for a new one now but at -1that should not be happening
So reading the article, one tenants heat pump had an issue during a cold spell, the landlord is getting it fixed and it’s national news? What about all the tenants sitting across Scotland in freezing homes because their landlords refuse to fix broken combi boilers? I guess since that isn’t critical of the net-zero transition it doesn’t warrant an article.
They quote a guy saying he’s got holes in the walls and the thick as shit daily mail reader is blaming his heat pump? Honestly? It’s like opening a window in winter and blaming the heat pump for letting the heat out 🤣
King wears Greek tie at COP28 in photo with PM a short time after new row over Parthenon marbles.
Negative publicity follows for King.
Toujours la même chose.
My heat pump has never had issues going down to -8C, they are meant to work well down to -20C I believe
Were the pumps undersized? Just like my AC system, you’ve got to size these things right.
Perhaps the homes are insufficiently air tight?
Is there excessive humidity in these houses?
There’s a lot of engineering and math that goes into the successful installation of HPs (again, just like my AC) and it’s not a one-size fits all approach. Multiple factors need to be weighed and accounted/designed for. I wonder if there remains a lack of understanding – in the public and industry – as to the complexities and how you can’t look at HPs through the combi boiler prism.
nice try BP/Shell
They work fine in Norway.
The problem is that the heat pumps installed as part of government subsidies are often too small for the job.
Mine works great but my friend across the road struggles to keep his house warm with his. His was a government installed one. Mine wasn’t
If you have a “passivhaus” they are awesome. If you have a pre war place with expectations of moisture evaporation, then not so good.
I doubt that. I know lot of people in Austria who have them.
That can’t be right. My BMW i3 had a heat pump that kept me warm at -25C
Heat pumps are total garbage. So many people are going to be made victims by this scam.
Great technology but there are some crap installers and housing big projects are usually going for the cheapest available, especially for their affordable housing requirements.
Btw, there are now a new generation of higher temperature heat pumps that are compatible with existing rads but they won’t be as efficient as ones running low temps on larger rads/underfloor heating.
Someone is spreading FUD
Heat pumps work even at -20 in countries which hit that. What people don’t seem to realise is that until -273C there’s still heat in the air.
I suspect confirmation bias is more to blame than heat pumps.
24 comments
(Article)
—–
An eco-friendly housing project shown off to the King as a “great success” has been criticised by residents who claim they have been left freezing from failing heat pumps.
The £3.3 million “energy-efficient” project, the Tomintoul and Glenlivet development in Moray, was visited by Charles in September.
The developer, Alpha Projects, admitted there had been a “manufacturing issue” with the air source heat pump in one property, and said it was “committed to closing out any snagging items in a timely manner”.
Alpha says claims by residents that their heat pumps stop working at -1C are wrong, and that the company “has data to back” their effectiveness down to -25C.
But Morna Martin, 53, said her home was so cold she had to sit underneath a blanket. She told the Daily Mail: “I don’t think they’ve done their homework. We’re the highest village in the north of Scotland and the air pump doesn’t seem compatible with the altitude up here.”
Another tenant told the newspaper that holes drilled into the wall for ventilation were causing drafts, and said: “When the King visited, I wanted to stand outside with a sign saying ‘I’ve got no heating’.”
Air source heat pumps, which extract heat from the outside air, are more environmentally friendly than traditional gas boilers. But residents now say they have had to buy electric and fan heaters and oil-filled radiators.
Heat pumps have been heavily promoted by the Scottish government. Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens and minister for zero carbon buildings, introduced a scheme last year where homeowners can apply for a £7,500 grant to install the device, with an extra £1,500 to those living in rural areas.
The Scottish government’s Rural and Islands Housing Funds helped to fund the 12 properties. A representative said the Communities Housing Trust, working on behalf of the trust behind the homes, “are taking tenants and homeowners concerns seriously and are in contact with regulatory and industry bodies regarding the matters raised”.
Alpha said: “The homes are eco-friendly, complete with photovoltaics, air source heat pump and Sunamp battery. Whilst there has been a manufacturing issue with the air source heat pump in one property, we have been pro-active and attentive addressing this.
“We remain fully engaged to supporting the Communities Housing Trust in their investigations.”
Someone hasn’t done their homework, these are successfully used all over Scandinavia at temperatures at lot more extreme. Either that or Daily Mail shenanigans
I’m sure this ‘lived experience’ will be ignored/mocked/downvoted because of the source of the story.
Something doesn’t add up, these are successfully used in much colder environments than here.
Saying the thing that heating engineers, controls engineers & various other construction doctrines have been saying since air source heat pumps started being pushed. You get a 35-40C LTHW (heating water temp) out of them. When your ambient is 10 degrees and you can scrape a 50C flow temp out of them, they’re sufficient to raise your indoor temp by 20 degrees or so above ambient.
It’s not just about temperature too, humidity has a large effect on their operation, with high humidity reducing the effectiveness. The sub zero 90% humidity’s we get is really poor for them.
The inconvenient truth is ground source really is the only solution that fits the governments goals, but surface field sources are too space inefficient for most developments, and have their own downsides in gardens & the likes, and deep source are simply not economically viable without huge changes in how we do things.
That’s funny, I’ve got an Air source heat pump and it’s been working fine in sub zero temps.
But hey, I’m guessing you’re pushing the anti heat pump story to get at the SNP / Green coalition, eh randomonium?
I’m going to hazard a guess here and say [ice build up](https://www.viessmann.co.uk/en/heating-advice/heat-pumps/why-is-my-heat-pump-icing-up.html)
Scandinavia has cold **but** dry air whereas here we have cool but damp air, i.e. humidity of 85% is very different to high 90s we can get. So the water deposits (desublimates) onto the coils that are well below the dew point, which means more frequent ice build up
Normally the unit should do a defrost cycle to clear this, but if the ice sensor isn’t working or if leaves get in the way (we have deciduous rather than evergreen trees) then the unit can stop working
This is another part of the reason changing from a boiler to a heat pump isn’t a *like-for-like* heat source swap.
Canadian dual national here. I have a heat pump with a backup furnace for when it’s less than -20°. It’s currently -5° and the heat pump is working well. Better than the little oil heater I had in Dundee.
I have an air source heat pump and a gas boiler as well. When the outside temp falls below about 6C the gas boiler kicks in automatically because the heat pump won’t be enough. I live in an old house and what can be done with insulation is limited.
I have a wood burning stove as well which isn’t used very much.
A heat pump should definitely work in below zero temps. I think they might mean the heat output is not sufficient.
Are the heatpumps garbage? I live where it gets to minus 40 in the winter….the house we moved to had an old,undersized mini split and it still worked up to around -10 to -15.
Waiting for a new one now but at -1that should not be happening
So reading the article, one tenants heat pump had an issue during a cold spell, the landlord is getting it fixed and it’s national news? What about all the tenants sitting across Scotland in freezing homes because their landlords refuse to fix broken combi boilers? I guess since that isn’t critical of the net-zero transition it doesn’t warrant an article.
They quote a guy saying he’s got holes in the walls and the thick as shit daily mail reader is blaming his heat pump? Honestly? It’s like opening a window in winter and blaming the heat pump for letting the heat out 🤣
King wears Greek tie at COP28 in photo with PM a short time after new row over Parthenon marbles.
Negative publicity follows for King.
Toujours la même chose.
My heat pump has never had issues going down to -8C, they are meant to work well down to -20C I believe
Were the pumps undersized? Just like my AC system, you’ve got to size these things right.
Perhaps the homes are insufficiently air tight?
Is there excessive humidity in these houses?
There’s a lot of engineering and math that goes into the successful installation of HPs (again, just like my AC) and it’s not a one-size fits all approach. Multiple factors need to be weighed and accounted/designed for. I wonder if there remains a lack of understanding – in the public and industry – as to the complexities and how you can’t look at HPs through the combi boiler prism.
nice try BP/Shell
They work fine in Norway.
The problem is that the heat pumps installed as part of government subsidies are often too small for the job.
Mine works great but my friend across the road struggles to keep his house warm with his. His was a government installed one. Mine wasn’t
If you have a “passivhaus” they are awesome. If you have a pre war place with expectations of moisture evaporation, then not so good.
I doubt that. I know lot of people in Austria who have them.
That can’t be right. My BMW i3 had a heat pump that kept me warm at -25C
Heat pumps are total garbage. So many people are going to be made victims by this scam.
Great technology but there are some crap installers and housing big projects are usually going for the cheapest available, especially for their affordable housing requirements.
Btw, there are now a new generation of higher temperature heat pumps that are compatible with existing rads but they won’t be as efficient as ones running low temps on larger rads/underfloor heating.
Someone is spreading FUD
Heat pumps work even at -20 in countries which hit that. What people don’t seem to realise is that until -273C there’s still heat in the air.
I suspect confirmation bias is more to blame than heat pumps.