Sound good? Sure, but the word "help" needs closer examination. Environmentally friendly air source heat pumps currently cost up to £18,000 and often require back gardens the size of Old Trafford to accommodate associated underground pipes. So, this initiative will rule out people who haven't got £13,000 in a tea caddy on the mantlepiece and don't live at Hampton Court Palace.
I know we have to do SOMETHING to tackle climate change, and to hijack a supermarket slogan "every little helps", but the £450 million being set aside for this over the next three years will only part-fund 90,000 conversions.
That is not even within telescope sight of the 450,000 heat pumps the Climate Change Committee estimates will need to be installed by 2025 in order to keep the UK on course to meet its goal of cutting household emissions in half by 2035.
Dear Mr Kwarteng,
Your grants-to-fit-heat-pumps idea has to be welcomed but I fear only because it represents someone actually trying to do something concrete.
Sadly, I think it is just a tiny drop in the ocean of work which needs to be done to cut our emissions and surely the £450 million cost of the scheme could be better spent?
The grants would leave householders up to £13,000 shy of the bill for fitting a pump and, I don't know whether or not you've noticed, most people are currently finding it hard enough to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table as it is.
For the £450 million set aside for this you might as well offer grants of £20 to every person in the country to "help" them each buy an electric Rolls Royce or a luxury yacht!
That would be about as effective but a much bigger vote winner once the Daily Mail gets its hands on the story.
No, I'm sorry, but I think a return visit to the drawing board is called for but nice try all the same.
All the best,
Reg.
No comments:
Post a Comment