The current ban on gas boilers in favor of heat pumps will be scrapped if Labor wins the general election, according to shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband.
Heat pumps were seen as a viable option to reduce energy bills and achieve Net Zero targets. Currently, the Conservative-led government has pledged to phase out traditional boilers with eco-friendly appliances despite concerns about the cost of installation.
Earlier this year, Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho confirmed a planned ban on gas boilers in new home builds would be delayed from 2025 to 2035, angering climate change campaigners.
But Labor appears to have gone a step further and scrapped the proposed ban all together as families continue to struggle with the ongoing cost of living crisis.
But Miliband has promised that he hopes to decarbonise Britain’s energy supply by rolling out more offshore wind turbines across the UK.
Almost all the heat generated to keep Britons warm comes from traditional gas boilers installed in 25 million homes and diesel-powered alternatives installed in up to a million more.
Do you have a money story to share? Contact us by email at money@gbnews.uk.
The shadow cabinet minister said Labor was still committed to introducing heat pumps in homes, but noted that any future government would need to do more to convince families it was worth it.
Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “When it comes to home heating – as we said in our manifesto – no one will be forced to rip out their boiler. We are absolutely clear about that. We didn’t stay with the government’s target for 2035 when you can’t replace the gas boiler.
“I know we have to show that heat pumps are affordable and will work for people. A lot of people, including me, already have heat pumps working. I have a heat pump and a battery, but it has to work economically for everyone.
“We’ve been through a cost-of-living crisis, we’re still going through a cost-of-living crisis. So we can’t make it so that ordinary people end up paying more for it. And that’s what our government, if we’re in power, will absolutely focus on.”
While Labor is not following the current government’s timeline for banning gas boilers, Miliband praised the Tories for introducing a boiler upgrade scheme to help install heat pumps in thousands of homes.
As part of this initiative, families can apply for grants to support the installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers in their houses and homes in England and Wales.
Plumbers can currently apply for the following amounts of support, with £450m of funding earmarked for the scheme between 2022 and 2025:
- £7,500 off the price and installation of an air source heat pump
- £7,500 off the cost and installation of a ground to water heat pump, including water heat pumps
- £5,000 from the price and installation of a biomass boiler.
Miliband added: “I’ll be honest, I think the one good thing the current government did, among a lot of bad things, was increase the heat pump grant to £7,500.
“Our take-up of heat pumps is absolutely miserable compared to other countries. We want to make it economically worthwhile for people to actually install heat pumps in cooperation with the private sector.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Government wants 600,000 heat pumps installed per year by 2028BYE
Households have been forced to contend with historically high energy bills amid a cost-of-living crisis
However, Ofgem’s energy price cap will drop to £1,568 a year between 1 July and 30 September 2024 for a typical household using electricity and gas and paying by direct debit.
This is £122 less than the cap set between 1 April and 30 June 2024 at £1,690.
Despite this, energy costs are expected to rise again later in the year during the winter months.