Buy Cheap, Buy Twice

THE PROBLEM

There is no doubt about it, Renewable Technologies such as ASHPs are becoming an integral part of the solution to the problem of reducing carbon emissions generated through heating. We here at Energie Solutions have never been so busy with enquiries for installations of ASHPs. We are incredibly proud of doing our bit in fighting climate change whilst ensuring we specify and installation the correct heating solution to the highest standards….. not every company have the same philosophy.

Like with most things in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it often is. Something many customers have discovered recently and seems to be a growing trend. With the increasingly popularity of Renewable Technology, we are seeing the increasing amount of so called ‘Renewable Experts and Installers’. In the last three months alone we have been called out to four properties where their ASHP was not working properly or at all. Most of the time we can find a solution to fix the issues, however with these ASHP there was absolutely no option other than to rip out and reinstall a replacement ASHP properly.

Too many people are buying on price alone and far too many companies have the business model of ‘stack em high, sell em cheap’. So what can we do about this?

THE SOLUTION

Firstly, an ASHP and cylinder can not be installed in a day. If companies are claiming this, then they have no intention of installing the system properly, even with a large team of ‘installers’….

Secondly, an ASHP can vary in price quite considerably depending on the size of your property and complexity of the installation. We can not stress how important it is for a heatless calculation to be carried out by a qualified person – this takes several hours. It can not be done in an hour by a ‘sales representative’ as part of their sales patter!

CHECK CREDENTIALS

Check the companies credentials. Carry out a simply search on Companies House, if the company is new and/or the Directors have been involved in multiple companies (certainly in a similar business) will they stand the test of time or are the actually going to promise the world and then ‘go bust’? Remember the warranty they are promising stands with them, if they are not around after 6 months where will you stand? Check the company’s accreditation and qualifications. Don’t just take their word for it. Any installer should be manufacturer trained and approved as a minimum. If you are hoping to apply for the RHI they will also be MCS accredited – they will be lodged on the microgenerationcertification website. If they are not, they can not offer the RHI!

Recommendations. Ask the installation company for installations they have completed in the local area. Established companies with a good reputation will only be happy to oblige.

Tune in again next week for more interesting case studies and blogs. In the meantime if you have any questions please do feel free to contact us on 01206 396901.