Scot's 2 years of 'heat pump hell' ends in refund as electrics declared 'unsafe'

An army veteran who went through two years of “heat pump hell” is set to be refunded after the Sunday Mail intervened. Dave Mundy, 55, was facing debt collectors for refusing to pay an outstanding bill for a heating system in his home which did not work. But after our intervention , Heat Pumps Scotland Ltd is dropping a civil suit against him and has agreed to repay the government loan Dave, of Gartcosh, Lanarkshire, took out to purchase the heat pump. The firm has also pledged to cover the reinstallation of Dave’s old gas boiler. It follows a torrid two years for eco-conscious Dave and his wife Mira after engineers botched a green energy refit. The couple have no central heating or hot water after experts at regulator NAPIT visited their home last week and found their electrical system to be unsafe – literally padlocking Dave out of his own fusebox due to the risk. Dave said: “I’ve won now, and I’m not after compensation, which a lot of people would be. I’m getting my boiler back in. “But has the government won? No. Can we now look at this and say this is a failed heat pump installation. Yes we can. "I’ve come into this embracing the government’s renewable initiatives. But I was going to be left with a loan hanging around my neck and an unsafe installation.” Dave hopes to have his old heating system restored in short order - but with temperatures dropping he is currently reliant on a wood-burning stove to warm his home which he installed as an alternative after the botched heat pump fitting. He added: "It makes you think of Oliver Twist, all of us huddled around the fire in my modern house. “The NAPIT inspectors locked me out of the heating system and shut it down because it's unsafe. "But that means this has been running in an unsafe way for well over a year. "Having a lock-out tag next to your hoover is quite bizarre. The thing that worries me is how many other unsafe installations are potentially out there?" In November 2023, Heat Pump Scotland Ltd visited Dave’s home and advised a HISA Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) could be integrated with his existing solar-powered water tank. As soon as the installation was carried out last June, taking out his gas boiler in the process, faults began with the water tank breaking down and his ceiling flooding. The firm later admitted the two systems weren’t compatible. But after Dave refused to pay the outstanding £4520, he was contacted by debt collectors who threatened to seize assets if he did not pay up and later faced off against the company in court. In a statement, Heat Pumps Scotland Ltd said: "We are happy we have come to an agreement with the customer to bring this matter to a close. "It is unfortunate that contract disputes occur between installers and customers but by working together we have come to an agreement. This is a positive outcome for both parties." A spokesman for NAPIT said: "While this case remains under active investigation by NAPIT, we cannot comment on the specifics of the case. "NAPIT is continuing to support Mr Mundy to seek a resolution to his complaint with their installer to ensure the safety and compliance of the installation." The SNP government's Home Energy Scotland scheme offers grants and loans of up to £15,000 to install heat pumps. Consumer Scotland warned earlier this year of rising complaints over a lack of expertise and "substandard workmanship" by some traders.