The government has delayed by a year its scheme for spurring the take-up of heat pumps, under pressure from the gas boiler industry.
The clean heat market mechanism is intended to force heating installers to fit more low-carbon heat pumps, to meet the UK’s net zero greenhouse gas emissions target and save energy.
But the scheme – which requires companies to install a gradually increasing proportion of heat pumps compared with the number of gas boiler installations or face a financial penalty – was inaccurately described as a “boiler tax” by gas heating companies and their lobbyists. Some boiler companies put their prices up by £120, which they said was in reaction to the potential scheme, but which one government insider told the Guardian was unfair price “gouging”.
The mechanism was due to come in this April but has been delayed to April 2025, the government said on Thursday. The energy secretary, Claire Coutinho, has also asked the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the boiler market.
Reforms to the boiler upgrade scheme also announced on Thursday will mean households no longer need to upgrade their insulation to take advantage of government heat pump grants. Removing the requirement for cavity wall and loft insulation should save consumers about £2,500 on a heat pump installation, for which the government is offering a £7,500 grant.
At this point you can pretty much assume. Anything referred to as government delays. Translates to government refuses to upset anyone this close to an election.
Something like this will not win them enviromental votes by August. But could well lose a significant number of small company owners votes.
Delaying it means they can critisize a future labour gov no matter what. If labour do not invoke it. "Well we had a plan to improve heat pump didtribution"
If they do "Well you added to the cost of small businesses right in the middle of a cost of living crisis"
ATM its a tech that must be used more. It makes a huge difference to heating and cooling costs. 5x in the better estimates. Less when looking at the current cost of electricity over gas.
But when taking CO2 targets into account. And the advantages cost and procedure wise of moving the reduction efforts to electricity power stations rather then in home boilers etc. It is one of the biggest changes a government can make to household co2 generation.