Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has published the response to the Consultation on Support for Low Carbon Heating in Residential Buildings, the Department for the Economy announced on 26 January 20261. The consultation itself was published on 8 October 2024 and closed on 10 January 20251. The Department received 107 responses, from energy representatives, trade associations, consumer representatives and housing providers, among others1.
The report presents the findings of the public consultation, which the Department says will inform the design of a support scheme for low carbon heat and energy efficiency in residential buildings1. According to the published response, the consultation showed support for widening eligibility to a range of low carbon technologies, requiring minimum performance and building efficiency standards, and strengthening consumer protection through certified installers1. Views on funding levels varied, though capital grants were favoured, and skills and supply chain gaps were identified1.
"The consultation responses and stakeholder engagement have been invaluable in shaping our options for how best to provide support for low carbon heating technologies that will lead the transition to decarbonising heat in our homes."
The consultation, run through the NI Direct Citizen Space platform, set out its purpose as evaluating support options for low carbon heating technologies within the residential sector, with responses intended to assist in forming the design, rules and guidance for a potential future low carbon support scheme and to help shape future heat policy in Northern Ireland2. It was open to the public, heat pump installers and manufacturers, third level education, private companies with an interest in the low carbon heat industry, and other public organisations and government bodies2.
The Executive's Energy Strategy, Path to Net Zero Energy, commits to introducing support for low carbon heat technologies including heat pumps1. The Department states that low carbon heat support will incentivise consumers to switch away from fossil fuel reliance and that improving home energy efficiency through low carbon solutions will mean lower energy use and reduced heating bills1. No funding levels, grant amounts or eligibility thresholds have been reported.
Why it matters for households
The consultation response is a design document, not a live scheme. Nothing in it changes what a household can claim now, and no payment rates, technology list or application process have been published. What it does show is the direction the Department for the Economy intends to take: wider eligibility across low carbon technologies rather than a single favoured option, minimum performance and building efficiency standards attached to any support, and installation through certified installers1. For a household weighing up a heating change, those three points are the ones that would eventually determine what qualifies and who can carry out the work. The stated aim is lower energy use and reduced heating bills, alongside reduced exposure to fossil fuel price volatility1. The consultation also identified skills and supply chain gaps1, which bears on how quickly any scheme could be delivered and how many installers would be available to do the work. How policy of this kind is proposed and decided is set out in our guide to energy consultations, and the technologies in scope sit within our boilers and heating coverage.
What happens next
The Department states that this year the next steps include consulting on financial options and developing a high level scheme design, and then next year legislating, prior to launch1. A public consultation on scheme design and financial options for a future domestic energy efficiency and heat programme will be published later this year1. No dates beyond those have been reported.
Sources2 cited
- Minister publishes response to consultation on Low Carbon Heating Support | Department for the Economy, economy-ni.gov.uk
- [Consultation on support for low carbon heating in residential buildings
- NI Direct
- Citizen Space](https://consultations.nidirect.gov.uk/dfe/consultation-on-support-for-low-carbon-heating-in/), consultations.nidirect.gov.uk