Summary:
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Households can apply for vouchers under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to assist them in switching to a heat pump.
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The government launched the program in May, but between then and the end of the year, only 9,888 vouchers were distributed.
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The program is supposed to end in March 2025, but new information shows that only 42,000 vouchers will be available by then.
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People had already said the program was flawed because it only paid for 90,000 vouchers, while the government planned to provide 600,000 by 2028. However, it claimed that the plan was to increase demand for heat pumps so that the market might expand.
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“The UK now has one of Europe’s lowest heat pump installation performance rates.
Government data released on Thursday shows that a significant new program to help people in England and Wales replace their gas boilers is starting slowly.
Households can apply for vouchers under the boiler upgrade scheme to assist them in switching to a heat pump.
The government launched the program in May, but between then and the end of the year, only 9,888 vouchers were distributed.
Switching to heat pumps will help the UK reach its climate goals by reducing the pollution caused by heating.
Since May of last year, homes in England and Wales have had access to a £5,000 subsidy to upgrade their heating system from an inefficient boiler to one that is more environmentally friendly.
The government set aside £450 million for this program, promising to finance 90,000 pumps over three years.
The program is supposed to end in March 2025, but new information shows that only 42,000 vouchers will be available by then.
Even though the number of retrofits is mostly in line with their predictions, a spokesperson for the UK Climate Change Committee, which advises the government on climate change, told the BBC that “the government could increase uptake of the boiler upgrade scheme, especially by raising public awareness and providing more funding.”
A spokeswoman for the government said that a targeted marketing campaign has just started to get more people to know about the program.
According to Jess Ralston, head of energy at the policy think tank Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, “in terms of government programs, they all have teething troubles in the first year,” so the scheme’s slow start did not surprise her.
Experts in the field say that the delay in the scheme’s online launch made installers less likely to advertise their services.
The government set up the program to reduce the damage that heating homes in the UK does to the environment. Heating homes is responsible for 14% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Heat pumps give homes a chance to save money because they use electricity rather than gas and are three times as efficient.
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How do heat pumps operate? £5K to replace your boiler
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Families will receive £5,000 to replace their gas boilers.
People had already said the program was flawed because it only paid for 90,000 vouchers, while the government planned to provide 600,000 by 2028.
However, it claimed that the plan was to increase demand for heat pumps so that the market might expand.
Ms. Ralston says that the program will help the business prepare, but “there is still a huge difference, and in other countries, long-term policy plans are being put in place.” “Two years is not very long, and investors need to feel confident.”
The UK now has one of Europe’s lowest heat pump installation performance rates. Researchers in the energy field think that by 2020, about 400,000 heat pumps will be installed in France and 37,000 in the UK.
Also, there are significant differences in how vouchers are requested and given out in different parts of England and Wales.
In this program, four of the top five places where heat pumps were installed were in the south of England.
Households must apply for the program to get vouchers, but Ms. Ralston said that some people might not apply because the voucher only pays for 75% to 50% of the cost, which might be hard for some people to afford.
