Octopus Energy issues heat pumps statement after ‘wild unprovoked’ criticism | UK | News
Octopus Energy has issued a statement after being criticized for supporting heat pumps. The British energy provider is promoting heat pumps and outlining the potential benefits households can enjoy when they make the switch. Green energy industrialist and environmentalist Dale Vince has lashed out at Octopus Energy for promoting heat pumps, claiming they have been misrepresented to the public. He described heat pumps as “a niche technology that cannot move the dial” on the UK’s net zero target.
He then made accusations against Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus Energy, saying there were “pressing questions” about whether he had influenced recent Government policy which saw households receive grants of £7,500 to help pay for a pump. The energy provider accused its boss of having “almost as many Government mandates as an Octopus’s tentacles” and said the Government plan represented “significant potential conflicts of interest”. He said Octopus Energy would “stand to gain significantly from the recently announced Government policy”.
However, Octopus Energy released a strong statement in response to Vince’s claims. He said Vince had made “wild and categorically unfounded insinuations” and that this was “the latest in a series of unprovoked attacks by Mr. Vince.”
An Octopus Energy spokesman said: “We are stunned by these wild and categorically unfounded insinuations, the latest in a series of unprovoked attacks from Mr Vince.
“Greg was asked by both this Government and the previous Government to help with his volunteer experience in technology, entrepreneurship and growth.
“Instead of obsessing over petty rivalries and jealousies, Mr Vince would do well to use his undoubted talent and influence to get his own work done and make energy cheaper and safer for the British people.”
The Office for Energy Security and Net Zero defines heat pumps as “highly efficient electrical devices.” It transfers and concentrates heat from outside air or ground into a building, replacing oil-based home heating systems.
Charlotte Lee, CEO An official from the Heat Pump Association previously said: “Heat pumps capture heat from air, soil or water, and this heat is then passed through a heat exchanger. This is then absorbed by the refrigerant gas, raising the temperature and then moving to a compressor where pressure is applied to create a higher temperature.”
“From there, it passes through another heat exchanger where the energy is transferred to the water flowing through your radiators or underfloor heating system and the water stored in your hot water cylinder.”
