SIGNATURES Sign NIBE Petition
LATEST
Result! Ashram tenants can now request replacement boilers & compensation, regardless of property size
Welcome
NIBE Fighter boilers are found in many brand-new affordable social homes up and down the UK.  Heat pumps are generally known for their energy savings and low emissions, weaning us off gas. However, these models have caused energy bills to explode above the national average, providing little heat in the most uneconomical way. NIBE UK has cheated developers by designing heating systems that are incapable of running efficiently, rewarding themselves with tax payer cash.  Click the button to read in detail...
Newspapers
48 articles
Our Struggle show
All over the country brand new estates are appearing, some with houses that have to meet a certain level of build quality to receive funds for eco-friendly technologies from the HCA (Housing Communities Agency). Thanks to the extra government cash thousands of these homes have had heat pump boilers installed, which use electricity rather than depending on mains gas.

Once built, these homes are passed to a housing association, so they can be rented or bought.

According to the developers, NIBE were given building designs with instruction to design the heating systems. NIBE take these plans and design pipes, radiators and ductwork. However, if the developer hasn't provided a heat loss assessment, NIBE will still design and overlook potential problems. The manufacturer is aware that their boilers require careful choice and installation. Yet, NIBE still continued to design the systems for leaky, under-insulated and oversized properties. Because developers aren't specialised with heat pumps, they've relied on contractors and NIBE UK to have taken care of all the little details - big mistake.

Residents paying £1000-2000 or more for their electric per year is becoming the norm - when their heating should be costing around £400-500.

NIBE UK used to say they didn't deal with end users hoping for it to go away, but after years of pressure building on the issue, they launched a customer support program in mid-2012. When contacted, engineers will visit, service and check the boiler at no charge. Still, if the boiler is undersized, or the house isn't fit, it's all pointless - again, NIBE aren't paid to care about heat loss.

Although housing associations aren't responsible for the poor installation, some have made the right decision and acted fast. 100s of Fighters have been replaced with better air/ground source and gas. But unfortunately, most deny there is a problem, they blame the residents and complaints have lasted years. Also shooting themselves in the foot, as they've forked out £10,000s in compensated bills.

If the NIBE Fighter boiler didn't have the "backup" immersion, the unit would create NO heat at all in cold weather. The only heat source left in your home would be the TV and your own body heat. Remember, the boiler's heat pump doubles energy in warm air already in the property. If there's no warm air, the heat pump fails.

Compared to ground source or air source heat pumps, there is always a source of heat in the ground or in the air. This exhaust heat pump relies on warmth in indoor air, which will run out if there isn't another heat source. The joke is, the NIBE Fighter blows all of this warm air outside eventually.

Swedish pro-NIBE users will argue that this model is anything but bad. However, they fail to note Swedish properties with NIBE boilers also have other heat sources, such as wood burners. Sweden also benefits from cheaper, 'greener' electricity, plus British houses in comparison are seriously under-insulated.

Heat pumps can be extremely efficient. Daikin, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, Panasonic and Toshiba all produce simple products with massive energy savings. NIBE UK's actions have made everyone think twice about the heat pump industry, in a time when the UK should be heavily investing in it.

If you haven't complained about your heating yet, do it now! Click here see our guide.
How To Complain show
Example complaint letter
  • NOT complaining means your HA DO NOT have to care
  • NO organisation can help UNTIL you start your HA's complaints process
  • COMPLAIN SOONER rather than later, it may take months for action
  • Complaints work better in numbers, round up the neighbours!
  • FORMAL, not informal, complaints to your HA will only be taken seriously
  • Show your neighbours their estimated bills, they might not know

STEP 1 Complain

Call, write, email – your HA has many ways in which you can start your complaint. You must highlight that this is a formal complaint, or they will immediately label it as informal and remain in do-not-care-mode.

Feel free to use our example letter above for inspiration.

 STEP 2 Your HA's response

Your HA must send you information about how their complaints process works. This should reassure you that complaining is normal and they are there to help. Take note that this information may include extra contact details in case you are dissatisfied with the service.

Try getting everything in writing, and mark on a calendar how often they keep in touch (or how often you chase).

They should arrange a day to meet with you, possibly with an engineer.

 STEP 3 The visit

First, if they have brought an engineer, check they are from NIBE. You must refuse a third-party engineer to touch your boiler, because it is these very people that have incorrectly installed your boiler, and they may unintentionally cause further problems.

If they have an NIBE engineer, make sure they are there to recommission and service. Recommissioning means that they will set up your boiler as if they were installing for the first time.

Having an engineer there may seem like a waste of time, but it means your HA will use this visit against NIBE when the boiler continues to fail (and it will fail).

This visit will also give you the chance to reiterate the boilers faults, your frustrations, and the action you’ve witnessed other estates taking.

 STEP 4 The deal

At no point should they tell you that nothing can be done, and you have to live with it. An expired defects guarantee on your property should also not be used as an excuse.

Make sure your HA have made it clear what steps they are going to take. Ask them how long it will take and what support they can give you during this process. They could offer you help with your bills and alternative heating.

To check the validity of your complaint your HA will need time to gather proof. This could be meter readings, bills and studying the difference between Summer and Winter months.

 STEP 5 Too long

If your HA has run out of answers, not making any sense or lost interest in your complaint. You can ask them to move you to the next stage of the process, to show you won’t go away.

Or, you could inform any of these organisations that your complaint hasn’t got you anywhere:-
  • Housing Ombudsman (HO)
  • Trading Standards (OFT)
  • National House Building Council (NHBC)
  • National House Building Council (NHBC) - Have your Buildmark Policy Number handy
The last thing your HA wants to deal with is an organisation protecting consumers, because there’s a great chance they will lose, and possibly punished.
Tips & Settings show
  • External vents  Do the vents on the outside of your home look like the vent in the photo? If not, you may instead just have a hollow pipe, which invites cold drafts, pollution and street noise.
  • Inactive Thermostat  Turn the dial on your thermostat and see if the screen on the boiler changes to "Room temperature". If the boiler does nothing, then the thermostat is doing nothing. You must get it "activated".
  • Mode  Keep pressing your season button until it says "auto" in the bottom of the boiler's screen. This stops any unwanted immersion use if and when your room temperature falls, and automatically selects the best season.
  • Extra Hot Water  Press the XHW button and make sure it says "off". If it doesn't say "off", Press the button until it does.
  • Cieling Vents  Assuming the installer has done things right, these vents are precisely set, meaning you must not touch them. Although you must have NIBE check them for peace of mind.
  • Open Windows    You can have your windows and doors open as much as you like, but only if outside temps are above 16 degrees. You can check the outside temperature by pressing "+" until it appears on screen.
  • Do Not Turn Off    You could compromise your complaint case if you have been found to turn it off. The boiler logs what you do. Plus, leaving the boiler on ensures your room temperature doesn't fall to the point were the immersion has to be used.
  • Raiator Taps    Have all your radiators on, and have them set on medium (III). Therefore you don't overload the boiler and unheated rooms don't cause problems. The largest room may need a higher setting.
  • Paying Bills  Prepayment meters (key meters): As soon as your energy provider has forced you onto this meter, your house is no longer considered affordable. Therefore, your housing association should take immediate action to support/top-up your meter and establish solution to your escalating bills quickly.
    Spreading the cost of Winter heating over 12 months by direct debit is the only affordable option. Do not use Economy 7, because your boiler uses the same energy in the day, than it will at night. Make sure you switch providers as soon as you move in, else you will be paying over the odds. Debt with your provider could force you on to a key meter, which will cripple your finances in cold weather.
  • Wall Covers  To help avoid cold drafts, make sure your wall covers are facing the right way up (see photo).
  • Heat Curve  Keep the knob on the boiler set to "0". It can make a difference to radiator temperatures, but the wall thermostat is recommended for that.
  • Radiator (Flow) Temperature  Adjust the wall thermostat, not the knob on the boiler, to increase room temperature. If the "room temperature" on the boiler looks high, don't worry.
Frequently Asked Questions show
  • Were NIBE Fighters installed before or after my property's energy assessment (SAP)?
    The energy performance of your property was assessed before the boiler was installed. The developer will have given the assessor the COP value of the boiler to complete the assessment. However, we all know this COP value is false, due to the dependence of the immersion heating.
  • What is the cost per kWh on my Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?
    Ask your Housing Association or Developer for your property's 'Full SAP Calculation Printout'. If your SAP report is version 2005, look between lines 94 and 95, and find 'Normal Electricity Price'. In most cases it is £0.0712 per kWh (2010).
  • Does the NIBE Fighter recycle all the exhaust air leaving the house?
    No - the boiler's heat pump will only use the exhaust air when there is a demand for heat. It's not economical to have the compressor running 24/7, so in colder months, you'll notice a lot of hot exhaust air is needlessly expelled outside.
  • What's the difference between Coefficient of performance (COP) and system efficiency?
    COP is the amount of heat produced by the heat pump compared to the amount electricity it uses. The higher the COP, the better. System efficiency is the amount of heat produced compared to the amount of electricity used by the whole system, compressor, fans, pumps and other components. Please note, NIBE Fighter's were sold with a misleading COP value of 2,6
  • Does the Fighter 360P qualify for the Renewable Heat Incentive, if not, why?
    No - they are not classified as renewable under the Renewable Energy Directive as they do not rely solely on outside air
  • What is the maximum water temperature the NIBE Fighter can achieve without the immersion?
    Assuming there is a healthy feed of hot exhaust air - only available at the height of summer - it will reach 56°C.
  • What heating demand is the NIBE Fighter 360P suitable for?
    Properties with a demand no greater than 4kW. You must take in to consideration that your home will have a higher demand because of the ventilation.
  • Is the immersion really for backup?
    No - energy assessors that have spoken to NIBE understand that the boiler's energy use will be around 50% compressor, 50% immersion. We don't know why anyone refers to it as a "backup".
  • Are residents with replaced boilers actually seeing results?
    Yes - so far many are now using gas, and few are using ground source. EVERY replacement has reported huge savings. If you are interested in seeing your property's potential savings using gas, at a cost, you can request a certificate which can very closely calculate how much less you would pay.
  • Are there any heating experts that can help me?
    If you would like to see how your property performs with an alternative fuel, plus a compensation guide (payment required), visit http://www.ukheatpumpsolutions.co.uk. You can also see if Kensa Heat Pumps can find a solution for both you and your housing solution, http://www.kensaengineering.com.
  • Should my housing association let regular engineers handle my NIBE Fighter?
    No - Like it or not, NIBE are best qualified to setup and maintain your Fighter to the best of it's ability, they offer a free service as part of their "Customer Satisfaction Drive". It is other (gas) engineers that have most likely carelessly installed your boiler, do you really want them to come back and make it worse? Tell you housing association to get in touch with NIBE, and a visit can be arranged at no cost.
  • Does my NIBE Fighter have a warranty?
    Yes - It has a 2 year NIBE warranty. This is either from installation or when you moved in, your housing association should be able to tell you.
Web hosting by Somee.com