Vaillant has welcomed this week’s inquiry into the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).
On 22 February, the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee concluded its inquiry into the Boiler Upgrade Scheme with resulting headlines outlining the scheme’s failure to deliver.
Mark Wilkins, pictured, technologies and training director at Vaillant, commented on the findings.
He said: “The conclusion of the Environmental and Climate Change Committees’ inquiry into the BUS was announced in a letter to Lord Callanan. At Vaillant we welcome this inquiry which reviews the uptake and mechanics of the scheme itself, the public awareness and support for transitioning to low-carbon heating systems and the policy barriers which are underpinning the lack of market confidence.
“BUS is just one piece of the puzzle to support the increased uptake of heat pumps and to help decarbonise the UK’s housing stock. We continue to await the publication of the Green Finance Strategy, outlining how the UK’s financial services industry will deliver on ambitions for energy security, climate and environmental objectives.
“We believe that this should provide market certainty and availability of robust consumer finance packages that, along with the existing 0% VAT rate, will further increase demand for low carbon technologies. Therefore, we ask the government to quickly deliver its Green Finance Strategy and consider extending the BUS to match the duration of the 0% VAT rate on the installation of heat pumps, which ends in Spring 2027.”
He added: “Whilst the BUS offers homeowners grant funding, the promotion of the scheme and heat pumps as the low carbon technology of choice, needs critical attention. One key area is the education of homeowners about heat pumps, how they work and what consumers should expect when choosing one.
“As a technology agnostic manufacturer, we recognise there needs to be alternative options to give consumers choice when it comes to transitioning to a low carbon future. Not every property is suitable for a heat pump and BUS is just one part of the solution for properties in England and Wales. We eagerly await the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s response to the questions posed in the inquiry and welcome the opportunity to work with government to implement changes and improvements for the benefit of all parties.”