UK flooded with dodgy boiler upgrade pumps that rack up energy bills

Hundreds of thousands of UK homes have had boiler ‘upgrades’ fitted which, instead of saving them money as promised, rack up energy bills by hundreds of pounds.

This is Money has learned that non-compliant parts which break energy efficiency regulations are being shipped in from China and sold to plumbers for use in people’s homes. What’s more, many are being fitted with taxpayers’ money.

The big advantage of these pumps is that they push hot water to taps and showers on demand, meaning no waiting around for water to heat up.

But another big selling point is they lower water bills for households with a meter, as there is less cold water going down the drain.

But around 10 per cent of circulator pumps – 100,000 a year – do not meet UK regulations, according to industry experts.

This is a problem for homeowners because non-compliant pumps run non-stop and use huge amounts of energy. 

One of these pumps uses around the same energy as a fridge, adding up to £129 a year to energy bills, per pump, compared to ones that meet European regulations on energy efficiency.

These dubious pumps are sold under 20 brand names and are all made in the same three or four factories in China, according to the world’s largest pump manufacturer, Grundfos, which is now speaking out about the practice.

Source of data and images: dailymail