Shropshire Star

Government heat pumps target short of early ambition

Government targets to reduce emissions from the built environment by getting eco-friendly heat pumps into homes does not meet initial ambitions, a Tory minister has said.

Published
Philip Dunne MP

Ludlow MP, Philip Dunne has welcomed publication of the government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy, which includes new grants of £5,000 to encourage homeowners to install more efficient, low carbon heating systems – like heat pumps that do not emit carbon when used – through a new £450 million three-year boiler upgrade scheme.

But he wants to see more ambition to reach numbers the government previously said it was aiming for.

Mr Dunne, who chairs the Environmental Audit Committee, said: “The strategy is a positive start. The allocation of £3.9 billion to decarbonise buildings over the next three years is a significant move ahead of COP26.

“However, the policy is yet to meet the ambition with heat pump installations, in particular for owner occupiers. Ministers have previously announced the target to install 600,000 heat pumps by 2028, yet the announcement today only supports installation of 90,000 over the next three years. This is a good start but is less than offered initially through the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution announced last year."

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