A government grant scheme aimed at replacing gas boilers in England and Wales with ‘greener’ alternatives hasn’t had the expected level of take-up, according to data released last week.
Under The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, households can apply for vouchers to help them switch to a heat pump.
The government aims to give out 30,000 vouchers each year; however, it only managed to hand out 9,888 between the scheme’s launch in May 2022 and the end of the year.
The scheme is set to help lower heating emissions, in turn helping the UK meet its climate and sustainability targets.
Since May 2022, households across England and Wales have been able to access a £5,000 grant to replace their boiler with a more environmentally friendly heating system.
The government set aside £450m for this scheme, and said it would fund 90,000 pumps over three years.
However, based on new figures, and at the current rate, only 42,000 vouchers would be issued by the scheme’s end-date in March 2025.
Experts say the delay in getting the scheme online deterred installers from offering their services.
The scheme had already come under criticism for providing funding for just 90,000 vouchers, when the government is targeting 600,000 installations by 2028.
However, the government said the scheme was creating a demand for heat pumps and helping to grow the market.
The application and issuing of vouchers also differs between areas of England and Wales, another aspect of the scheme that has drawn criticism.
The UK is one of the worst-performing countries in terms of heat pump installations in the whole of Europe.
In 2020, nearly 400,000 heat pumps were installed in France, compared with 37,000 in the UK, according to energy analysts.
Image credit: Virrage Images/Shutterstock
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