David Chadwick MP calls for greater support for off-grid homes

Tindle News

David Chadwick has called on the Government to do more to help people who are dependent on heating oil to keep their homes warm. He said in a Westminster Hall debate on decarbonising homes that Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe has one of the highest levels of off-grid properties in the UK. Video from parliamentlive.tv

Transcript

00:00David Chadwick. I'd like to thank you for giving way and bringing forward this

00:03important debate. My constituency has one of the highest levels of off-grass grid

00:09properties in the UK, with over a third of my constituents dependent on heating

00:13oil to keep their homes warm. So does the Honourable Member agree with me that

00:18it's absolutely vital that the government bring forward plans to help

00:21off-grid homes decarbonise, not only to help the environment but to help bring

00:26their bills down too? I thank the Honourable Member for his intervention and I'm sure

00:33that the Minister will have more to say on this when she comes to her marks in

00:37response. To return to heat batteries, heat batteries in the UK currently face

00:44a significant disadvantage compared to heat pumps as they're not eligible for a

00:50grant under the boiler upgrade scheme. I know the Minister is continuing to look

00:54at how she can maximise the benefits of the scheme and I hope she will also look

00:59at whether new technologies like this can also be supported. Heat batteries are

01:05also not on the list of energy-saving materials that qualify for VAT

01:10reductions, unlike heat pumps. Considering extending VAT relief to heat

01:16batteries would help heat those 20% of homes currently missing out. I've written

01:22to the Chief Secretary to the Exchequer to ask him to consider reducing VAT for

01:27heat batteries and I hope that this is something that the Minister might work

01:31with him on considering. Barriers to networked ground-source heat pumps

01:37that use heat batteries also include planning considerations and the need to

01:42adopt a street-by-street approach that can upgrade hundreds of homes in one go.

01:48I know the Minister has already committed to changing planning rules for

01:52air-source heat pumps and I hope she will consider whether changes also need

01:56to be made for networked ground-source pumps and that she will include

02:00networked heat pumps allied with heat batteries in the forthcoming low-carbon

02:06flexibility roadmap that I know she's working on.

02:12To give certainty to British businesses investing in innovative technologies

02:18like heat batteries we need to ensure there are consistent heating

02:23requirements for new homes being built and I know she will shortly be bringing

02:27forward the new future home standard to end the scandal of gas boilers still

02:33being installed in new homes and I hope that the standard will include heat

02:39batteries and other emerging technologies.

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