Green Heating Scheme failed to be installed in UK homes

The government’s new green heating scheme, which was launched to replace gas boilers in UK homes, has been described as ‘seriously’ failing by a Lords inquiry.

Figures released at the beginning of the year show people’s disinterest in having their boiler replaced to a heat pump, a technology which captures air from outside and heats it into your home – under The Boiler Upgrade Scheme households can apply for vouchers to help them make the switch.

The government have set targets to distribute 30,000 vouchers annually but have only managed 9,888 between the schemes launch in May and the end of last year. As it stands, only 50,000 have been installed thus far.

Last week, the Lords Climate Change Committee said grant take-up is so low the national target for green heating is ‘very unlikely to be met.’

In response to this, the government have said they will launch a marketing campaign to make people more aware of the project.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme was meant to kick-start the heat pump industry in England and Wales and reduce the cost of installing gas boilers for homeowners.

However, in a letter to the government, Baroness Parminter, Chair of the Lords Committee, severely criticised ministers for failing to raise awareness for the scheme.

Ms Parminter told the BBC: ‘The scheme isn’t working as well as it needs to. It is absolutely critical that the government boosts public awareness…we need to give people the confidence to know about why these changes are important.’

Heat pumps use electricity to run and are three times more efficient than a gas boiler, so as we switch to renewable electricity, homes will be cheaper to heat and produce less emissions.

According to recent research, however, gas energy is much cheaper to run than electricity on a regular basis, but the overall costs of installation, maintenance and running expenses tend to favour electricity.

Against this backdrop, heating homes in the UK produces an estimated 17% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for contributing to the climate crisis.

Photo by Martin Adams