Time to Electrify Boris Johnson

The Electrify Heat campaign has written a letter to the Prime Minister to encourage the Electrification of Heat and the installation of heat pumps in the UK and to press for progress on three key issues: tariffs, training and trust.

The Electrify Heat campaign is calling for action on:

Tariffs

"We call on the Government to publish a plan for promoting low carbon electric heat pumps by removing unfair and counterproductive levies from electricity bills."

Training

"We call on the Government to work with industry to introduce a heat pump retraining package which provides resources, regulation and finance to support training for 25,000 installers by 2025 and support the roll-out of green apprenticeships schemes for school leavers."

Trust

"We call on the Government to support a nationwide green homes awareness and information campaign, and the roll-out of a high-quality advice and support service across the country on heat pumps."

Electrify Heat Campaign

More generally the Electrify Heat Campaign is: "pushing for the fastest possible uptake of clean, safe and affordable heat pump technology in British homes".

Electrify Heat aims for a well governed transition to clean heat, with national and local bodies working together to deliver the best outcomes for households, communities and the country. It aims to promote the 'need for speed' to get on track urgently for Net-Zero in the 2020s by building a market to drive down costs for all, and to reduce CO₂ emissions from heating drastically.

On the key issue of tariffs Edward Thompson of the GSHPA has said: "There is now huge interest from householders to install heat pumps and play their part in curbing climate change. However, the 'environmental levy' on electricity remains the largest barrier to installations and the Government must now find a way to remove these taxes for those who are otherwise ready to install heat pumps. A Swede is 35 times more likely to buy a heat pump than a Brit. This is not because Swedes are greener than Brits: it is because heat pumps are the cheapest form of heating in Sweden, and gas boilers are the cheapest form of heating in the UK – largely on account of the different tax regimes."

The Electrify Heat campaign is backed by progressive utility companies and trade associations to encourage a well governed and fair transition to clean heating. The group includes Octopus Energy, OVO, Good Energy, E.on, Scottish Power, and the principal trade associations concerned with green heating: GSHPA, HPF, Energy UK, HPA and the ADE.

See press release and comments on the launch of Electrify Heat letter to Boris Johnson.