Planet Saved, Family Hospitalized: A Heat Pump Love Story

Picture this: You walk into your own living room, ready to relax, and your spouse is dressed in full hazmat gear. Not because it’s Halloween, or the in-laws are visiting, but because the government says you need to “save the planet.” Welcome to the world of “green” heat pumps—a glorious technological leap forward in the same way New Coke was a glorious leap forward in soda. The only thing missing is a government-mandated sticker: “Now With Bonus Legionella!”

No, really. If you’re wondering why climate commissars keep demanding you tear out your trusty boiler and install the latest in eco-absurdity, it’s because nothing says “progress” like swapping one non-existent crisis for a very real, pneumonia-inducing germ. As feature image cartoon so accurately sums up, we’ve apparently reached the “just put on your spacesuit, honey” stage of climate policy.

Let’s check the scoreboard: Your heating bill is just as soul-crushingly high as ever, your water now doubles as a bacterial spa, but—good news!—the climate priests say you’re doing your part. All it cost you was your health, comfort, savings, and the right to heat your home without consulting an infectious disease specialist. Just remember to thank the experts.

If you think I’m joking, take a gander at “Heat Pumps and Hidden Legionella Health Risks”, which reads like a how-to manual for government-induced own goals.

“As the push for low-carbon heating accelerates, so too do the unintended health consequences. Heat pumps, especially those used for domestic hot water, often operate at lower temperatures than traditional boilers. This creates the perfect breeding ground for Legionella bacteria.”

Translation: That shiny, taxpayer-subsidized heat pump is less “Tesla of heating” and more “Chernobyl of water heaters.” Instead of harmless, invisible CO₂, you get a very visible, very deadly germ factory right under your roof. All courtesy of people who couldn’t change a tire, let alone run an energy policy.

But wait, there’s more. The “efficiency” magic of heat pumps comes from not heating your water to a temperature that actually kills bacteria. You know, like the way mankind has safely done for a century. Dr. Alan Watson, a microbiologist with the rare skill of noticing the obvious, spells it out:

“With traditional gas boilers, hot water is regularly heated to 60°C or above, killing off any bacteria. Heat pumps, to maintain efficiency, frequently store water at much lower temperatures. Unless properly managed, this is a textbook scenario for Legionella proliferation.”

Translation: The “experts” replaced your old boiler with a device that keeps water at exactly the right temperature for germs to thrive. But don’t worry, you can save the planet—just don’t breathe near your shower.

Of course, when it all blows up, the policy geniuses have a plan: run your heat pump hot enough to kill bacteria, but only once in a while, so you can still claim it’s “efficient.” As the article says:

“Manufacturers recommend a weekly or even daily heating cycle to 60°C to minimize Legionella risk. Yet this approach undermines the energy savings that supposedly justify the switch to heat pumps in the first place.”

You couldn’t make this up if you tried. It’s like selling a car that only works if you push it everywhere and then handing you a bumper sticker that says, “I’m saving the planet.”

Meanwhile, your heating bill hasn’t budged. As the cartoon’s doomed husband observes, “Bill’s as high as before.”

“Many homeowners report negligible reductions in their energy bills after switching to heat pumps, especially in older, less insulated properties. Meanwhile, the risks from inadequate water temperatures remain.”

In other words, you pay for the privilege of being a guinea pig in a government experiment—an experiment run by people who consider actual science optional whenever it conflicts with the latest Net Zero edict. All so the climate church can say you’re “doing your bit.”

The real comedy here isn’t in the cartoon—it’s in the fact that the same central planners who claim to be saving us from certain doom are so colossally incompetent they’re introducing killer germs into our homes. On purpose. When microbiologists point out the glaring problem, the response is classic: ignore the scientists, double down on the policy, and blame the public for not “trusting the science.”

If you want to sum up the Green Revolution, here it is:

• Destroy the reliable.
• Mandate the untested.
• Ignore the consequences.
• Accuse anyone who points out the obvious of heresy.

So go ahead, install that heat pump. Don your hazmat suit. Send a thank-you note to your local climate czar. After all, nothing says progress like paying more to shower in weaponized bathwater. The planet may or may not notice, but your immune system sure will.

Feature image by www.cartoonsbyjosh.com