Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 23
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)
We asked DESNZ how it was learning lessons from the roll out of heat pumps. It explained that it had already learned some lessons, such as about the level of grant driving demand, and that it would continue to evaluate the roll out of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme “very carefully” to see if there were further refinements to increase uptake further. It added that a first interim evaluation report for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme was due later in 2024, but it did not outline what the evaluation would cover.41 38 Qq 48, 49, 60; C&AG’s Report, para 3.3. The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is a quality assurance scheme. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme requires heat pumps to be installed by MCS-certified installers. 39 Qq 48, 60 40 Q 48; C&AG’s Report, paras 17, 19, 3.3 41 Qq 10, 39 16 Decarbonising home heating 3 The pathway to decarbonising home heating Supporting all households
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.