Release of the government’s eagerly awaited Heat and Buildings Strategy is expected to result in higher demand from homeowners to improve their heating systems, according to a leading trade group.
Mike Fairman, CEO of Checkatrade said clarity was welcomed, as the strategy release nears, regarding the future of greener home heating and the role of installers.
He said: “We eagerly await publication of the Heat and Building Strategy. We understand its year-long delay is as a result of its sheer scope, and as such we expect it to have a profound impact for tradespeople and homeowners alike.
“We are particularly keen to see future plans for green heating laid out. Central heating is one of our most in demand categories with almost 20,000 consumer searches every month, yet there’s real confusion among the public when it comes to what heating sources they should commit to.
“We hope to see the Strategy set out clear advice about which green heat sources homeowners should consider, along with details on the phase out of natural gas boilers. All of these details will provide homeowners and trades with certainty and confidence that the changes they are making to their homes, and careers, are the right ones.
“We also keenly await news on incentives for the installation of green technologies. Consumers have told us how keen they are to retrofit their homes with green improvements, however many have chosen to await the publication of this strategy before they take action given the expectation that it will include details on subsidies. As such, the delay to the strategy’s publication has lost homeowners and trades precious time which could have been spent retrofitting homes and moving the UK towards Net Zero.
“Once the strategy is published we expect to see pent up demand from homeowners. This, coupled with a low supply of suitably qualified trades and ongoing confusion among consumers about green deadlines, could cause a heightened risk of rogue trades exploiting the situation.”