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A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has stated that every household needs to be engaged in order for the Government to achieve its objective to decarbonise home heating.
It stated the number of heat pump installations by December 2023 was less than half of the planned projections; also suggesting that the uncertainty regarding the role of hydrogen in home heating is hampering investment and effective planning.
Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said: “Government needs to engage every household to achieve its objective to decarbonise home heating as part of the transition to net zero. DESNZ’s (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) progress is making households aware and encouraging them to switch to low-carbon alternatives has been slower than expected.
“DESNZ must draw on its experience to date to ensure its mix of incentives, engagement and regulations addresses the barriers to progress in its current programme of work.”
It also questioned public awareness of the availability of boiler upgrade grants to help smooth the transition from oil and gas-fired boilers.
The NAO said that just 18,900 of the clean heating units were installed under the grant scheme from May 2022 to December 2023 – less than half the up to 50,000 expected by that point.
