Oct

NEW: Government’s latest ‘green homes deal’ to be revealed this week

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The government is expected to pledge to landlords and homeowners that installing a heat pump will cost no more than fitting a standard boiler by 2030 as part of its new Heat and Building Strategy due to be published this week.

Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is set to announce plans to reduce the cost from £10,000 to £5,000 within three years along with a pledge to invest £60 million in heat pump innovation to make them smaller and easier to install.

However, landlords and heating experts have warned that any support will need to be easier to access than previous green schemes.

The government will announce 2035 as the cut-off date when natural gas boilers will no longer be installed in existing homes following its promise to fit 600,000 heat pumps each year by 2028 to help the UK meet its net zero target.

Low-carbon consultancy Gemserve says it understands that BEIS is considering an obligation on manufacturers which would require them to meet a minimum threshold of renewable heating system sales as a proportion of their total.

This proposal is similar to obligations placed on car manufacturers over recent years and has the potential to drive down costs.

Kevin Wellman (pictured), CEO of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, tells LandlordZONE that he expects details of the Clean Heat Grant – which comes into effect next March – finalised, including which heating systems will be eligible.

He would also like to see a viable alternative introduced to the Green Homes Grant Scheme.

“It is important that any schemes are easy for landlords and qualified installers to access, as there is a real danger of a miss-match between supply and demand,” he says.

“In order to achieve the government’s aspirations for net zero, 100,000 installers need to be upskilled in low carbon technologies.”

Many landlords believe the targets are wishful thinking and that its aim to see all rented properties raised to an energy rating of band C or above by 2030 is a ‘pipedream’ unless upgrades are backed with financial and practical support.

Read the Commons guide to the Heat and Building Strategy document.

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