The Energy Saving Trust published its response on 21 January 2022 to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) consultation on ending fossil fuel heating in homes that are not connected to the gas grid1. The consultation covers the proposed phase out of systems such as oil, coal and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) in those homes1.
The proposals under consultation include an end to the installation of fossil fuel heating in homes off the gas grid from 2026, a "heat pump first" approach to replacement heating systems from that year, and a requirement for high performing replacement heating systems where heat pumps cannot reasonably be installed1. The consultation also considers a potential back stop date to end the use of fossil fuel heating in all homes off the gas grid, alongside the current financial and non-financial barriers to heat pump deployment1.
In its response, the Trust set out the case for financial support across different types of household. It said funding and incentives should cover both the upfront costs of heat pumps and the energy efficiency measures that reduce bills and carbon emissions1. It also argued for an impartial advice and support service to speed up the changes people need to make in their homes1.
"the importance of offering a wide range of financial support schemes and incentives to suit all consumers and their needs, including low-income households and the self-funded sector"
The Trust said that advice service should be seen as a key part of the UK Government's net zero infrastructure, citing the effect it would have in accelerating the adoption of low carbon heat and lowering costs1. The consultation document itself, and the government's decisions following it, are not reproduced in the Trust's response page; the outcome of the consultation has not been reported there1.
Why it matters for households
Around a tenth of UK homes are off the gas grid and rely on oil, LPG, coal or electric heating, so a 2026 end to fossil fuel heating installations would bear directly on how those homes are heated and what a replacement costs when a boiler fails. The Trust's response focuses on the two things that determine whether a household can act: the upfront cost of a heat pump and the cost of the insulation and other efficiency measures that make a heat pump work well in an older, hard-to-treat property1. Its argument that support should reach both low-income households and the self-funded sector reflects the fact that off gas grid homes are spread across both groups, including rural properties and park homes. For a household's energy independence, the practical question raised by the consultation is what replaces an oil or LPG tank, and whether the grid connection, the property's fabric and the available funding make that replacement feasible. The Trust's position is that impartial advice is part of the infrastructure needed for that transition, rather than an optional extra1.
What happens next
The consultation response was published on 21 January 20221. No government decision on the proposals, and no date for one, is given in the Trust's response page1.
Sources1 cited
- Response to phasing out fossil fuel in off grid homes - Energy Saving Trust, energysavingtrust.org.uk