Ed Miliband is poised to scrap the 600,000-a-year target for heat pumps amid budget cuts that threaten his Net Zero ambitions, according to industry sources. The Telegraph has the story.
The previous government declared that from 2028, 600,000 heat pumps would be installed every year in British homes as part of the drive towards Net Zero.
But official communications regarding the deadline have been dropped since Labour took power last year, and any mention of installation targets was absent from the party’s 2024 manifesto.
Labour has refused to recommit to the 2028 deadline, which was set by Boris Johnson’s government in 2021. The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is expected to announce the changes in her spending review on June 11th.
It comes after the Telegraph revealed last week that cuts to the Department for Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ) budget could force Mr Miliband to reduce funding for his flagship Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which provides up to £7,500 to homeowners looking to install a ground or air source heat pump.
Funding for the scheme is expected to expire in 2028, and the Government is yet to confirm whether it will be renewed.
“The conversations I have been involved in suggest they’re planning to get rid of the 2028 deadline, and it’s not in any of their PR,” one source told the Telegraph. “Because the budget is limited and this Government isn’t the best with finances, the Warm Homes Plan will also get shrunk.”
The Energy Department, led by Mr Miliband, is said to be bracing for budget cuts as Ms Reeves frantically tries to fill an estimated £30 billion black hole in Britain’s finances.
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