Energy suppliers have told Ed Miliband to increase the cost of gas boilers to boost the uptake of heat pumps and EVs – because nothing says 'good product' like deliberately increasing the prices of competitors.
Mr and Mrs Watts installed a heat pump in 2008. But it's now approaching the end of its life and the replacement cost is £17k, £10k more than they paid for the original. It's a salutary lesson, says Sallust.
Defective heat pumps will be fitted in new homes under Net Zero plans, the Government has been warned, after it emerged that installations in new builds are unregulated and can be installed by any cowboy.
Heat pumps may never be cheaper than gas boilers, Ed Miliband has admitted as Labour sneaks a new boiler tax through Parliament that will push up prices.
According to Labour, "all families deserve the security of a home they can afford to heat". If the party really believed that, says Ben Pile, it would drop its commitment to over-priced green energy and ramp up the gas.
Gas boilers are to be banned in most new homes by 2027 as part of legislation being brought forward by the Government requiring new-builds to be only fitted out with electric heat pumps or non-gas alternatives.
Heat-pump sales in Europe plummeted by 47% in the first half of the year, as the price of gas dropped, the cost of living rose and fewer households switched from gas boilers.
With heat pump numbers forecast to rise, the energy watchdog Ofgem has predicted that bills for those who continue using gas boilers will surge.
The problem with heat pumps is they're fundamentally uneconomic, and no amount of shifting the costs around can hide that, says Andrew Montford. So beware the Government's latest bait-and-switch ruse to get you to buy one.
Green Party leader Carla Denyer has admitted that she still has a gas boiler despite her party’s commitment to reach Net Zero by 2040.
