Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants second highest on record in July: comment

Commenting on new figures showing that the number of grants issued under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme were the second highest on record in July 2024, surpassed only by October 2023 when the grant amount was increased [1], Jess Ralston, Head of Energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: "The UK's reliance on gas for heating has had severe costs to our energy security over the course of the energy crisis, and huge costs to households too; anyone who's paid a gas bill over the last few years knows that. Like any new scheme, teething issues in the first year or so appear to have been overcome, with applications now consistently around double what they were last year. With energy independence at the top of the Government's agenda, the writing is on the wall for gas boilers and it's now a question of when, not if, people make the switch away from gas which will increasingly come from abroad as the North Sea continues its inevitable decline.

"However, it remains to be seen how much the boiler industry will try and stand in the way of legislation that should see the UK's heat pump supply chains flourish further, and with the Government due to implement the Clean Heat Market Mechanism in April, holding firm against the incumbent lobby would send a clear signal to the markets and the public about the future of heating."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics: July 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/...

For more information or for interview requests:

George Smeeton, Head of Communications at ECIU, Tel: 07894 571 153, Email: george.smeeton@eciu.net