Rishi Sunak has been warned a heat pump rollout delay will “cost households thousands”, according to fresh research. Government delays to net zero targets will hold back the development of the heat pump industry, costing households thousands, according to a new study.
Niamh O’Regan, researcher at Social Market Foundation, said: “The Government’s recent delaying of key net zero initiatives will mean that British households’ energy bills will be determined by Putin’s war or supply chain shocks. It will also mean that the British heat pump industry forgoes a chance to grab the growing global demand for low carbon heating. Unless the Government starts investing today in the technology and the workforce needed to realise savings from transitioning to low carbon heating, British consumers, workers and manufacturers will be worse off.”
Around eight million buildings will need to switch from gas boilers, which currently heat around nine in 10 English properties, to cleaner alternatives by 2035 to meet the UK’s 2050 net zero target, the commission said. Commission chairman Sir John Armitt said he found it “hard to accept” the Prime Minister’s assurances that the UK is on target to meet its carbon targets.
READ MORE Met Office breaks silence on ‘second’ mini October heatwave hitting UK
Sir John told reporters: “We’ve got a 2035 target which is only 12 years away. I find it hard to accept that we are likely to meet that when we are installing 50-60,000 heat pumps at the absolute most per annum at the moment when the Government has set itself a target of 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028.
“It is not cutting the mustard at the moment so therefore there has to be a significant improvement in order to achieve that 2035 (target).” Sir John said: “Fewer households have access to £7,500 than previously had access to £5,000. So our scheme, I would argue, is significantly more supportive of people making this change.
“We’re meeting the full cost for those in social housing and on lower incomes and we are topping up the grant for others by zero-cost financing.” Darren Jones, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: “There is no doubt we need a transformation in the UK’s approach to infrastructure to drive investment and growth across Britain.
“However, after 13 years of economic failure and stagnation, the biggest obstacle to this report’s recommendations being implemented and to get our economy growing is the Conservative Party.”
