Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an (a) estimate of the cost and (b) assessment of the feasibility of reinforcing the electricity network to achieve the Government's aim to install 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library of the House.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government and Ofgem jointly published an Electricity Networks Strategic Framework on 4 August 2022, which sets out a vision for the transformation of the electricity network needed to maintain our energy security while reducing emissions and our dependence on imported fossil fuels. Network regulation, including ensuring sufficient investment to deliver the capacity needed to meet demand, is a matter for Ofgem. The Government engages regularly with Ofgem and electricity network operators to discuss their plans to support connections of low carbon technologies, including heat pumps.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the energy performance of homes to EPC band C or above.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this parliament to improve the energy efficiency of homes, including:
In addition, the Government has launched a digitally led service https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency launched in July to provide impartial, tailored advice to help people improve their homes.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has conducted or commissioned research on potential options for improving the public interest and acceptance of heat pumps.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government has been conducting research through the £16 million Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project on approaches to improving public interest and acceptance of heat pumps, with results due to be published later this year.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) engineers on the Gas Safe Register and (b) off-gas-grid installers were trained to install heat pumps in each year for which figures are available; and if his Department will make an assessment of whether there has been sufficient training uptake to deliver installation of 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028.
Answered by Greg Hands
Heating engineers are not required to report to Government when they undertake heat pump training. Microgeneration Certification Scheme estimates of the number of trained heat pump installers in the UK are in line with Heat Pump Association estimates of the number of installers needed for current levels of deployment. As demand for heat pumps increases, the number of trained installers will need to increase further. Industry groups are confident there is enough training capacity to meet demand for heat pump upskilling as heat pump deployment increases to meet the target of 600,000 installations per year by 2028.