The MCS Foundation has welcomed Government plans to compel boiler manufacturers to transition their businesses to sell more heat pumps, and to expand grant schemes for homeowners replacing fossil fuel boilers with heat pumps.

A pilot aiming to drive increased retrofit demand and build supply chain capacity through local collaboration and coordination has launched in four local areas.

New research shows that households living in a typical semi-detached new build would save an average of £1,342 a year, if the Government mandates solar panels, heat pumps and battery storage for all new homes.

Colleges and FE training providers are being offered grants of up to £10,000 to support in the roll-out of the UK’s first ever heat pump apprenticeship.

The next government should make rebalancing of electricity and gas prices an urgent priority, in line with Chris Skidmore and RenewableUK’s Dan McGrail’s report published today, the MCS Foundation has said.

Local authorities are being invited to access funding and expertise to help get hundreds of thousands of homes insulated and have renewable energy installed, as part of a new pilot scheme.

Less than a quarter of MPs (24%) believe that the Government is providing the support required to meet a target of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, YouGov polling shows.

Battery storage installations in homes will receive a boost by being zero-rated for VAT from today, as will co-contracted works for ground source heat pumps.

One-in-four of England’s councils is failing to enforce legal standards for energy efficiency in private rental housing, leaving tens of thousands of tenants in illegally cold and drafty homes, according to a new report. 

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement has today missed a crucial opportunity to boost the number of battery storage systems across UK homes.