The innovation charity, Nesta, has today called for the UK Government to stick to its commitment to ensure no new gas boilers are installed after 2035 and help more people to install heat pumps, following comments from the Prime Minister about meeting the UK Government’s net-zero commitments in a “more proportionate way” and news of a planned watering down of key green policies, expected to be announced on Friday.

Madeleine Gabriel, director of sustainable future at Nesta, said:

“There is nothing proportionate about running scared from the job of lowering our country’s carbon emissions.

“The British public will find that any Government climbdown on replacing gas boilers just pushes these costs further down the line and may end up costing more by delaying investment and innovation. The current commitment to ensure no new gas boilers are installed after 2035 is an important policy for the UK’s economy, encouraging investor confidence and helping the green job market to grow.
“Home heating is responsible for around 15% of the UK's total emissions, so replacing fossil fuel burning gas boilers is a key part of decarbonising, yet the UK has one of the slowest rates of heat pump installation in Europe. If the Government backtracks on its pledges, this will create more uncertainty in the heat pump market, keeping costs higher for consumers now and leaving a poor legacy on achieving net zero.”

Notes to editors

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