Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 19
Thirty-Seventh Report - Decarbonising home heating
Published 26 May 2024
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Decarbonising home heating All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
DESNZ said that training new installers was a “growing industry”. It stated that it was investing £29 million from 2021–22 to 2024–25 to train installers in the heat sector. Part of this spend includes a £5 million Heat Training Grant to support up to 10,000 heat pump and heat network training opportunities from 2023–24 to 2024–25. DESNZ reported that it was on track towards meeting its target to reach 12,000 trained heat pump installers by 2025, and that it had trained 7,000 installers so far, including 3,000 as part of the Heat Training Grant. DESNZ recognised that it will need to continue to invest in heat pump training and expand training opportunities to reach the number of installers needed in later years. It told us that decisions for future training grants would form part of the next spending review.33 The MCS Foundation, which supports education in the heat sector, told us that it was key that the government continue to support the development of the heat pump supply chain, which included training installers by providing long-term clarity and certainty.34
From: Public Accounts Committee, Thirty-Seventh Report - Decarbonising home heating (HC 653), 26 May 2024
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 11 July 2025 (deadline 26 July 2024).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it agrees with most of the Committee's recommendations on decarbonising home heating, some with target dates still "to be confirmed", and disagrees with one, on gas network decommissioning.
- On heat pump running costs, the government agrees with the recommendation, but implementation is "dependent on further steers from new ministers" and no date is set. It says it "is considering" the best way to bring costs down.
- On installer numbers, the government agrees, with a target of Summer 2025. It says decisions on future training support "will form part of Spending Review 2025 (SR25)", as the Heat Training Grant is funded until April 2025.
- On data, the government agrees to publish quarterly data on retrofit installations using government funding, with a target of Winter 2024. It "cannot commit" to publishing data on new builds or unfunded installations "until a suitable mechanism is found".
- The government disagrees with the recommendation to set out gas network decommissioning arrangements by end-June 2025, saying a full assessment "will require more time". It says it is "currently exploring ways" to facilitate the transition.