Thomas Farquhar, co-founder of Heatio, has responded to the government’s Autumn Budget.
He said: “This Budget is a mixed bag in terms of the government’s commitment to net zero. On the positive side, funding for heat pumps has been extended as well as key investment supporting domestic manufacturing of the technology. There are also welcome, clear ambitions in the Warmer Homes scheme, which promotes solar and heat pump installations. The government’s £3.4bn additional funding for 350,000 homes, including 250,000 low-income homes, is especially good news and a step forward in making energy savings accessible for all, especially those most affected by fuel poverty.
“Encouragingly, the Budget continues to incentivise electric vehicles, enabling us to build on the one million EVs already on the road.
“However, it is disappointing that there is nothing new about deploying more low-carbon tech in British homes; the Clean Heat Market Mechanism is also absent, which will undoubtedly kick-start fossil fuel boiler manufacturers in supplying heat pumps and supporting consumers to transition to green heating technology for their homes.
“The lack of action or clarification on the Future Home Standards is also a missed opportunity. Continuing to build new homes without the basics required to combat climate change makes no sense. The Future Homes Standard should include heat pumps, solar panels and batteries as a standard requirement. The government has also missed the opportunity to bring forward fossil fuel boiler bans on new builds and retrofits.”