MPs warn electricity prices must be "fair" to boost heat pump uptake

Duncan Baker said this will ensure families reap the benefits of Britain’s renewable energy to heat more homes.

He added: “To see further uptake of heat pumps, electricity must be fairly priced. Green levies are disproportionately applied to electricity compared to gas.

"These must be rebalanced, whilst not penalising households who still rely on gas, to bring down the cost of electricity and ensure we can reap the benefits of Britain's renewable electricity to heat more homes.”

Heat pump installations need to increase by more than 10-fold over the next four years if the Government is to meet its target of 600,000 a year by 2028, according to MCS Foundation figures.

Despite 2023 being a record year with 39,268 heat pump installations, there needs to be additional policies to make them cheaper to run in order to achieve the exponential growth needed, the MCS said.

Mr Baker, a member of the Conservative Environment Network, said: “Under a Conservative government, we have seen the UK become a world-leader in renewable energy technology such as offshore wind.

"Last year, we generated a record 43 per cent of our power from renewables.

“But to hit our climate change goals, we need to replicate this emission cutting success in home heating by supporting the heat pump industry.

“The government is rightly implementing policies to make this clean and energy-efficient technology accessible to more households and nurture the industry. In particular, the recent increased rate and budget for the heat pump grant scheme will support many more installations.”

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