Ahead of the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference, the government has announced a £3.9 billion plan to reduce the cost of low-carbon heating systems.
This will make them a more affordable proposition to encourage a move away from fossil fuels.
The Heat and Buildings Strategy includes a £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme which will see 90,000 old gas boilers replaced with highly efficient electric heat pumps over a 3-year period.
Formally referred to as the ‘Clean Heat Grant’, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will offer homeowners a grant of £5,000 towards the capital and installation costs of an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP).
The scheme also covers Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP). Homeowners choosing GSHP’s can apply for £6,000 of funding.
The aim of the scheme is to bring the overall cost of heat pump installation down by “at least 25-50% by 2025 and towards parity with boilers by 2030”. It is hoped that this will build trust among manufacturers, installers and consumers and improve the heat pump supply chain.
“Time to scale-up”
If you are a gas installer, plumber or heating engineer who is sitting on the fence about upskilling to heat pumps, today’s announcement regarding the Heat and Building Strategy along with the recently announced changes to the Building Regulations should provide the encouragement to kick-start your low-carbon career.
Chair of the Heat Pump Association, Phil Hurley, said that the heat and buildings strategy “will give industry and installers a huge confidence boost that now is the time to scale-up and retrain in preparation for the mass roll out of heat pumps, as well as making heat pumps more affordable, so all consumers can soon access and enjoy the benefits of reliable low carbon heating that stands the test of time.”
Become a heat pump installer
Our heat pump training courses are designed to get experienced installers up to speed within 3 days.
If you also need your WRAS Water Regulations and Energy Efficiency Part L we can get you trained up within 5 days.
Take a look at our heat pump training courses for more information.
MCS a must!
It is a requirement that any heat pump installers participating in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme must be MCS certified.
Don’t let this put you off – we offer a comprehensive support package designed to demystify the MCS process and help installers through their certification.
MCS Made Easy is the UK’s premier MCS support package, led by renewables experts and including a seminar written and presented by Chris Roberts (Technical Author of MCS001). It’s a no brainer for anyone going through the MCS process.