Heat Pumps Only Available to the ‘Affluent’ Warns Committee

An influential committee has raised concerns that most households benefiting from heat pump subsidies are from affluent groups. On Monday, a government report warned the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) that its current process for households looking to decarbonise their homes was “complex and confusing.” The House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts (PAC), which scrutinises government expenditure and taxpayer money, said that government net zero home grants are likely only being used by the wealthy. Realistic “We are concerned that most households receiving the Government’s £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant might be from more affluent groups, as they are more likely to be able to afford the additional costs and may have installed a heat pump even without the grant,” the PAC report said....