UKGBC urges BEIS to accelerate and fund the phase out of fossil fuel heating in UK homes and businesses

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has recently submitted to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) responses to their three consultations on fossil fuel heating.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have recently asked for consultation responses to three different queries related to the end of fossil fuel heating and the transition to heat pump technology.

The three separate consultations UKGBC have responded to are:

  • Consultation on phasing out the installation of fossil fuel heating in homes off the gas grid – The key themes covered in this consultation are the move to heat pumps in off grid housing, the possibilities of biomass use and when, specifically, fossil fuel boilers should be replaced. Download here. 
  • Consultation on phasing out the installation of fossil fuel heating in businesses and public buildings off the gas grid- The key themes covered in this consultation are the viability of 2024 and 2026 dates for a move away from fossil fuels, the financing options needed to allow for non-domestic buildings to transition to heat pump technology and the manufacturing needed to meet this demand. Download here.
  • Consultation on a market-based mechanism for low-carbon heat – The key themes in this consultation are using the market-based mechanism for encouraging heat pump installation, the need for more funding available to encourage individual heat pump installation and possible capacity limits for fossil fuel boilers. Download here.

Jenny Holland, Public Affairs & Policy Specialist at the UK Green Building Council, said:

“We warmly welcome the Government’s proposals to phase out the installation of fossil fuel heating in off-grid buildings.  This will be a vital early step on our net zero journey.  However, Government must ensure that low income and vulnerable households are not penalised by any new regulation.  In particular, the Home Upgrade Grant scheme must continue beyond its anticipated end date of April 2025 and the funding for it must be at levels commensurate with household need.

“We also welcome the proposed market-based mechanism for low carbon heat, which would see an obligation placed on companies selling fossil fuel heating appliances to achieve a growing number of heat pump installations in parallel.  It should help drive up heat pump installations from their current level of around 30,000 a year.  However, to achieve Government’s target of 600,000 annual installations by 2028 – let alone the 900,000 installations that the Climate Change Committee say are needed by the same year – a raft of further measures is needed to drive consumer demand.  These should include a stamp duty incentive, a successor to the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme and action to reduce the cost of electricity relative to gas while protecting vulnerable customers.”

For more information, please contact our Policy and Public Affairs Specialist Jenny Holland – jenny.holland@ukgbc.org.

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