Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 25
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 ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
In response to our question about how it would identify which homes are unsuitable for a heat pump and therefore exempt from the 2035 phase out, DESNZ said that it was some way from determining this, given the deadline was not until 2035. It outlined that it intended to consult in 2024 on alternative, predominantly electric, low-carbon technologies for people to decarbonise their homes where a heat pump might not be an appropriate solution. DESNZ recognised that it had “more work to do” including “additional trials” of alternative technologies.45 We received written submissions from some manufacturing companies which said they were developing alternative technologies that might be placed anywhere in the home. Both Tepeo and Thermal Storage UK, for example, explained that they were developing heat batteries that can operate in homes where there is lack of outdoor space.46 NexGen Heating described that it was developing an infrared heating technology, which would be agnostic to housing type and require minimal disruption.47
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.