19 March 2024
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Following the announcement by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) that the requirement for loft or cavity insulation will be removed from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), which could reduce the costs associated with installing a heat pump on a semi-detached property by around £2,500.
Paul Spence, Technical Manager for heatly, said: “This is a false economy, swapping a ‘fabric first’ policy for ‘heat pump first’ will entrap the homeowner into higher purchase costs, and higher running costs for the life of their appliance. The £2,500 saving the government suggests, will soon be gone. If heat loss improvements are made at a later date, the originally specified heat pump is likely to be inefficient with a shortened lifespan.
“All this leads to potential blame falling on the installer. Fabric should be upgraded wherever possible prior to installing a heat pump. This should be the first investment, then the heat pump.”
Griff Thomas, MD for GTEC, said: “It shines a light on skills shortages, in my view, this change recognises that there simply aren’t enough ‘fabric measure’ installers, which is holding up heat pump deployment. The government is basically chipping away at what makes an efficient heat pump system in an attempt to meet their targets, while covering up that the Great British Insulation Scheme simply isn’t working for the same reasons – a lack of Retrofit Assessors, in particular, is holding up this process and the scheme has hardly been promoted to the consumer.
“As ever, we need to focus on ensuring we have the skilled workforce on the ground so consumers can access the services they need. Removing barriers that in reality mean compromising on efficiency, is not the right approach.”
www.gtec.co.uk
