Less than a quarter of MPs believe UK will hit heat pump goal
Published 29 February 2024
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Fewer than a quarter of MPs believe that the UK will meet its target of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, new polling shows.
The survey of 107 MPs by YouGov for the MCS Foundation shows that just 24% are confident that the government’s current package of policies is sufficient to meet the target set by Boris Johnson’s government in 2021.
Certified heat pump installations reached a record annual number of more than 35,000 in 2023 as applications for the government’s boiler upgrade scheme surged following October’s increase in the level of grants from £5,000 to £7,500.
However the MCS Foundation is recommending that the government press ahead with the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, which is reported to be under threat of being scrapped or watered down.
This policy, which would require boiler manufacturers to sell a ratio of heat pumps proportionate to their boiler sales, was due to come into effect from April this year.
David Cowdrey, director of external affairs at the MCS Foundation, said: “MPs of all parties need to unite behind the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, which will prove crucial to the transformation of our heating infrastructure as we move away from fossil fuels and onto clean heat pumps.
“Reducing electricity costs for households will incentivise the switch to heat pumps and will mean lower bills, making this policy a win-win for the climate and for the cost of living.”
It comes as concerns over the transition to cleaner heating were heard at a recent meeting of the House of Commons energy security and net zero committee’s ongoing home heating inquiry.
“Efficient buildings should not be a party political issue, using the green transition as a political football,” said Adrian Joyce, secretary general at the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroACE).
Meanwhile Kieran Sinclair, principal energy policy advisor at the Danish embassy, said that the UK lacks sufficient waste wood to support the switch of the country’s combined heat and power plants from natural gas to biomass.
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