Recommendation 28

We welcome the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme announced in the Heat and Buildings Strategy. To ensure the success of the scheme, we recommend that in the delivery of the scheme, the Government must: 1) explain what lessons have been learnt from various failed past schemes and how this scheme will therefore be delivered differently, 2) focus public funds on lower income households and homes which will require the most expensive and/or complicated installations to decarbonise. This will require Decarbonising Heat in Homes 57 a fundamental rethink on the support packages currently available. The boiler replacement grants of £5,000 or £6,000 will mean lower income households cannot switch to low carbon heating, when the overall cost may be as high as £15–20,000. 3) incentivise banks to create low-cost loan products for consumers, 4) partner with industry and trade unions to create jobs and training pathways, and 5) ensure the scheme lasts for at least a decade instead of merely a few years.