Heat & Buildings Strategy Released

The Government has unveiled its Heat & Buildings Strategy with a headline announcement of £5,000 in heat pump subsidies to aid the transition from gas boilers. The strategy aims to reduce carbon emissions significantly from the 30 million UK buildings in our stock.

Net Zero to 2050

The new strategy is part of the Government's plan to cut carbon emissions, increase clean energy and invest in green jobs. It specifically details its plans for the next decade, ramping up strategy to achieve our carbon targets to ensure the UK is focused on the 2050 deadline for achieving Net Zero.

What are the headlines?

The main commitments to note in the Heat & Buildings Strategy are:

  • A 4 year package of £3.9 billion to decarbonise public buildings and fund heat networks
  • A £450 million boiler upgrade scheme to include £5k grants for heat pumps
  • There is to be a trial of hydrogen heating systems from 2026
  • Further retrofit investment as a ‘fabric-first’ approach pre-new heating measures
  • A further consultation on the prospect of preventing new homes connecting to the gas network

Heat & Buildings Strategy - media response

“The amount of funding is simply not enough”

There is a lot of detail to unpack and understand, in terms of the impact on our industry. Whilst I am delighted to see that the EPC will be at the heart of much of the regulation needed to support the strategy, the amount of funding promised within is simply not enough to get the industry moving away from gas and carbon intensive fuels, and to prepare properties to be able to adopt them (i.e. making them net zero ready). In several recent reports (Including from the CCC), the suggested level of funding required is 3 times what has been proposed, and which doesn’t include the initial boost funding that is needed to build economies of scale and skill.

Stroma Certification will be reviewing the two strategies as we move closer to COP and will be informing our members about the likely impacts and opportunities.

Andrew Parkin, Managing Director (Stroma Certification)

Read the Heat & Buildings Strategy

To read the strategy in full, please visit the Gov.uk website.