ᐅ Electricity Bill Extremely High Due to Heat Pump Malfunction?!

Created on: 4 Sep 2018 11:44
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benkler1401
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benkler1401
4 Sep 2018 11:44
Hello everyone,

Unfortunately, we are currently facing some issues with a significantly increased electricity bill due to a malfunction in our heat pump system.

We moved into our semi-detached house in December 2017. The heating system is an air-to-water heat pump with a split unit.
On April 23, 2018, we noticed a malfunction in the indoor unit.
We reported this to the builder and the installation company. Initially, the system manufacturer contacted us by phone.
On May 25, 2018, a service technician from the manufacturer finally came to fix the problem.
The technician verbally informed me of the following:
- The issue concerns a fault in the outdoor temperature sensor, but it is still functioning as it should.
- The installation company had configured almost all settings incorrectly.
- The control panel recommended by the manufacturer for the heating system on the ground floor was not installed by the installation company.

As a result of these issues, from February 1, 2018, to May 25, 2018, the heat pump did not provide heating; instead, heating was done exclusively via the electric flow heater.

Shortly after, we received an electricity bill for the period from December 1, 2017, to March 25, 2018, showing an additional charge of 1000€ caused by the failure of the free heat pump energy.

The problem is that the indoor unit in the basement makes no sound in case of a malfunction, and during this fault, heating appeared to work without restriction.

Now we are trying to find out who is responsible for the extra 1000€ electricity cost.

1. The builder refers us to the manufacturer and installation company.
2. The installation company refers us back to the manufacturer and no longer responds.
3. The manufacturer claims it is our fault, stating that the system is now working perfectly and that we ignored the malfunction, so it is our responsibility.

Our question is:
Can this really be true? Is it reasonable to expect that if a system is installed and configured incorrectly by a professional company, and, for example, control panels on the ground floor are omitted, that we should go down to the basement every day to check for malfunctions even though everything seems to be working properly?

Thank you.

Best regards
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Bookstar
4 Sep 2018 11:47
Who is your contractual partner? You need to address your claims to them. It is definitely not the manufacturer.

So, the property developer or installation company.
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nordanney
4 Sep 2018 12:19
benkler1401 schrieb:
Now our question is:
Can this really be true? It can’t be expected that if a professional company installed the system but set it up incorrectly and, for example, control panels on the ground floor were omitted, we have to go down to the basement every day to check if there is a malfunction, even though everything seems to be working perfectly?

Did you order and pay for a control panel on the ground floor? If not, the installation itself was apparently done properly, since the ground floor control panel is only recommended. The manufacturer cannot be responsible if you ordered only the essentials and declined optional features.

Otherwise, your builder/developer seems to be the right contact person, since you have a contractual relationship with them. Is that correct? Or did you hire the installation company directly?
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benkler1401
4 Sep 2018 12:26
Thanks in advance.

So, we had everything built as a standard package from the developer. There was no information about additional features for the heating system. There was only one heating system, a standard heat pump, and that was it. There was also no list of individual components or anything else.
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Domski
4 Sep 2018 12:55
Stop. Serious question:
Have you ever bought an entire house without the option to choose the HVAC system?
Or have you had a house built, including the installation of heat pump XYZ?

In both cases, it is difficult, but even more so in the second case… Here, the responsibility for approving the heating system work most likely lies with you. If defects were not noticed during approval, it means you essentially accepted them as is.

It is technically undisputed that the issue occurred during commissioning. The question is: Could you have identified the problem, or could someone else have noticed it earlier (approval of the heating system work between the developer and the heating contractor)?

Best regards,
Markus
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Alex85
4 Sep 2018 12:56
Contact your contract partner.
They will then blame you for partly being at fault because you did not notice the issue in time, and in the end, you’ll be glad if it ends up as a 50:50 split.
If you want a chance at more, consult a lawyer.