Air con grants to be rolled out to homeowners - but you need a heat pump
The boiler upgrade scheme, which supports homeowners to replace outdated boilers, is currently restricted to heat pumps which cannot pump cool air.
If the scheme is amended to include grants for air-to-air heat pumps, homeowners could benefit from carbon efficient heating in the winter, and air conditioning in the summer, campaigners say.
Labour is considering amending the scheme to allow claims for the dual heat pumps, the i newspaper reported.
Britain Remade, a pro-growth campaign group, has launched a petition calling for the Government to allow all new homes to have air conditioning installed, as well as extending grants to cooling heat pumps.
The organisation wrote: 'Summer's never been hotter. Electricity has never been cleaner. It's time to ditch the anti-air con rules, written for a world where summer was 25C and our electricity was coal-powered.'
In London, plans from Mayor Sadiq Khan make it clear that 'passive ventilation should be prioritised' over air conditioning, which is said to be less desirable due to 'significant energy requirements'.
Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said in a video on social media that: 'This is a poverty mindset that we need to get away from. Our energy policy should fit what people want to do, not the other way around.
'We have to make Britain cool again.'
Electricity blackouts
Air conditioning has become a hot topic following a series of heatwaves across the country in June and July, which saw temperatures reach 35.8C in Kent on July 1.
The number of households using air conditioning units jumped from 3pc to 20pc between 2011 and 2022, according to a study published earlier this year.
But traditional air conditioning units, which are common in hotter countries including the US and across Europe, can put extra strain on the electricity grid and cost homeowners thousands of pounds a year.
The devices are expected to increase power demand by 45pc by 2050, leading to fears of electricity blackouts as power stations struggle to cope.
Predicted overspend
Heat pumps, which are the backbone of the Government's Net Zero policy, can cost up to £13,000 to install. The boiler upgrade scheme, which was launched in May 2022 by the previous Conservative administration, provides up to £7,500 towards their installation.
In its first year, the scheme spent just a third of its allocated budget, although it is predicted to overspend in this tax year. Nearly £2bn has been budgeted for the scheme until March 2028.
But despite a Government target of 600,000 installations a year, since the beginning of 2024 just 365,397 have been installed, according to the MCS Foundation.
Earlier this week, The Telegraph reported that the Government's chief new-zero advisor had admitted that it was unclear whether the green devices saved households money.
A meeting chaired by Professor Dame Angela McLean found it was 'not currently clear' if heat pumps were cheaper to run than a traditional gas boiler.
The report, published on Wednesday, said heat pumps represented 'a major financial decision and long-term commitment,' adding 'it is not currently clear that heat pumps will save people money'.
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