Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she would consider the potential merits of providing a proportion of the resources being made available under the Warm Homes Plan to fund research into addressing the challenges for individuals in rural communities to decarbonise their homes.

Through the Warm Homes Plan, we will put communities at the centre of delivery, devolving funding so regional and local government can accelerate home and building upgrades according to their needs.

The Government does recognise the particular challenges for rural areas and is currently undertaking specific research to improve understanding of the costs and practicalities of decarbonising more complex housing archetypes. Results will be available soon and will help inform future policy decisions.

In the meantime, the Government is already taking action, recently increasing the grant amount available for heat pump installations through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to £9,000 for homes heated by oil or LPG.

Real-world trials have shown that heat pumps work well across different property types. This is reflected in strong uptake in rural areas, with 50% of BUS grants awarded to rural properties and 39% to homes off the gas grid.