Pompe à chaleur info

Hi, I’m trying to find out the real costs of installing a pompe à chaleur.
We have been living full time in France 12 years, recently moved from the Gard to Gironde and need to change from an oil fired system to something more eco and financially friendly.
There are so many scams and ads out there, but can someone explain what the net costs are likely to be of removing the oil fuelled system and installing a heat pump? Tax rebates, subsidies etc.

Any advice and guidance much appreciated!

It will depend on the size of the installation - and I can’t tell you whether there are any rebates to be had but the cost to the previous owner of our house to remove an oil fired boiler and replace it with a “16kW” heat pump in 2008 was just over 11k€

Adjusted for inflation that would be equivalent to about 13k€ today

I think Don really wanted to know if the online advertisements, for installations financed by the state, could be believed, or is it just a cunning ploy to fish for contacts.
I have often wondered about that. Does anyone get a free heat exchanger or solar panels?

That’s it Mike. Thanks for your précis of what I am looking for!

I had one installed last year costing 11000€. I received 3500€ grant from EDF, no tricks. I would have been entitled to almost 100% of the cost if my income had been lower. I’ve also applied for a crédit impôt réduction against tax.

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Which is perfectly fine but I thought that a ballpark figure for the “real” cost - after all if someone comes along and says "I can install that at 18k€ which, after rebate is 12k€ you *might* just pause to wonder if the price is being hiked artificially.

get a quote from several companies… and compare them… might be one way to go…

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Definitely the  way to go…

Yes but only get quotes from companies who are ´agrées ´ with the EDF in order to qualify for the grants etc.

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Things must have changed re grants since we had ours installed 3 years ago. I think we paid around €8,000 but that included some loft insulation. We got a rebate on the loft stuff but were told from the outset that, because the heat pump can pump cold air in summer (thank goodness for that at the moment) it attracted no grant because air conditioners don’t.

I thought that that was bizarre at the time given all the deaths from heat in 2003, but maybe things have changed.

If it helps we had it done by New Wave Energies in Limoges. Kyle Taylor was the English salesman and was very helpful. He, and us, were very lucky because he cold called me just as I was thinking about an alternative to cutting and lugging wood. Otherwise I wouldn’t have allowed him the time of day, or now, wouldn’t even answer the phone. :wink:

Just thinking about that, does it mean we were diddled by going with a company that wasn’t, or is it a recent thing?

No idea when it started though it has to be a few years cos I looked at doing it at the previous house.
Only registered (with EDF) installers can be used so I reckon there are many one man bands who won’t qualify. Check before asking a devis - caveat emptor.

My understanding is that air-to-air heat pumps are not subsidised for precisely this reason (that they are indistinguishable from air conditioners - which are now regarded (rightly) as environmentally damaging) - but air-to-water heat pumps (ie. for central heating) can be subsidised.

My understanding is that air-to-air heat pumps are not subsidised for precisely this reason (that they are indistinguishable from air conditioners - which are now regarded (rightly) as environmentally damaging) - but air-to-water heat pumps (ie. for central heating) can be subsidised.

That was my understanding too, glad to hear it confirmed as I thought from what others have said I might have missed out. :slightly_smiling_face:

Mind you I am still surprised bearing in mind the thousands that die because of unremitting heat in canicules.

Thank you all for the most helpful thoughts and advice.

Not quite an answer to your query, but might be useful. When we bought our C14th century house it had been extensively, but superficially modernised and we had pompes de chaleurs in every room. Eight year later (and after installing a woodburner) we only use them in summer, but no longer for a/c, even though we’re in the Lot Valley and it can get quite warm. Our old house has thick walls and small windows, so stays cool, but if its 30° plus we’ll run the fan on the pump rather than the a/c or, if it’s really humid, as in recent days, the de-humidifier option, which is fantastic.

Hope this might help, also two other related points, Daikin Heat Inverter manuals have english as their first language, and if should your partner inadvertently, put two remotes in the washing machine (yes two!! - and on the same wash!!!) one can buy generic replacements from China for 4€ eac,h rather than the European price of 97€.

What’s the definition of a heat pump?

A device which moves heat against a thermal gradient - in apparent contravention of the laws of thermodynamics (2nd law mainly).

2nd law basically states that everything tends to disorder (goes to shit)

Paul, I meant the definition for tax rebate purposes, not for an O level :slightly_smiling_face: I’ve had Hitachi reversible aircon (ie an air to air heat pump) for sixteen years, it originally cost 16k and we certainly didn’t get any grant. Last year we replaced/upgraded about half of it at a cost of 7k. Can I claw a few bob back?

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