Forced to install heat pumps

[forcedtogetheatpumps]

Yesterday, there was an article in the DM (yes, I know) about a Bill currently going through Parliament which basically says that home owners and LLs are going to be forced to install heat pumps otherwise they'll be fined or imprisoned.

How are people going to afford this?

Yeah my boiler is 20yo so this is my plan.

This thread is so dramatic over something that has a very very very tiny chance of happening.
Before then, there would be at least one general election (and people would have to be persuaded to vote for the padty with this in thd manifesto) , then it would have to fet through the house of lords, and no party is going to send parents to jail...imagine the Daily Mail Headlines..

When did mumsnet get so dramatic?

It 2030 isn't it, I'm sure 2025 is for new builds.

According to the proposals: “Energy smart regulations may create offences relating to the obstruction of persons acting on behalf of enforcement authorities.” Not quite the same as going to prison for not installing a heat pump

What are those enforcement authorities enforcing?

But what is an enforcement authority and what are they enforcing?

@Bookish88 Companies exist already that incorporate the grants with the payment plans and offset it on the reduction of the bills. Of course, there will be people that struggle but the alternative is fossil fuels.

No plan can ever be perfect but it's better than the alternative.

But I can't stress enough - no one is going to jail. This is a positive moment. Its decarbonisation.

The aside - arsehole rich folk that have shares on the moon, I can't help with.

But as with anything - the price will drop with the commonality and more organisations jump on board.

It sounds more like it's aimed at rogue landlords, or that is the main target.

The words “UNDER CONSIDERATION and MAY lead to a prison sentence”, are straight forwardly translated into this is not going to happen anytime soon and will be kicked into the long grass.

It originated in the House of Lords. It’s sailing through at a rate of knots. Jacob Rees Mogg is one of a very small number who have spoken against it. Everyone else is voting it through.

Heat pumps aren’t even possible for vast numbers of properties, mine included, as things currently stand.

It’s aimed at everyone who either rents out or sells a house.

This thread is so dramatic over something that has a very very very tiny chance of happening

The bill has had it's third reading whih is the final stage before it becomes law

So I suppose they will have to get more barges to put us all in, family rooms and all that

You know this is a discussion forum, where people discuss stuff?

At least it will crash the housing market which can't be a bad thing

We had a new boiler fitted last week and the engineer said that our house isn’t suitable for a heat source pump.

There was talk in Scotland that the Greens wanted legislation to make it illegal to sell houses that don’t have heat pumps, but that seems to have been dropped. A substantial proportion of Scotland’s housing stock is completely unsuited to the use of heat pumps, and even in houses that are suitable, the amount of work that would need to be done is prohibitive.

We live in a house that is only 20-25 years old - it’s double glazed, and insulated to the standards of the time - but we have a gas boiler, so we only need fairly small radiators. If we had a heat pump installed, we would need cavity wall insulation, and more loft insulation, and we would have to replace all our radiators with much bigger ones (according to dh, who is an engineer), which would mean taking up the floors in every single room - we are comfortably off but we would struggle to afford all this work, and all the redecorating and remediation behind all those works.

So if your property doesn’t meet net zero targets and you want to sell or rent it out you will be told what changes you need to make before you can sell or rent. The penalty for trying to circumvent this is capped at 12 months imprisonment and /or a 15k fine. Of course you could just not sell I guess and stay in the same house till you die.

Yeah, mine isn’t either…..but don’t think this will count as a get out of jail card. The govt will likely still make you have one and then spend the rest of your life freezing cold with your bills 3x current rates.

Heat pumps are old technology. The laws of physics tell you that they're a poor selection for old housing stock with poor insulation.

For this reason, the 2025 ban is only for new builds.

So if you live in an old house that's not suitable for a heat pump, you'll still be able to change it out.

Anyone selling or letting a property must obtain an energy performance certificate. Inspectors will be given the power to order 'improvements' and prevent the property being sold or let if they are not carried out to the letter.
Such improvements will include fitting heat pumps, loft insulation, double glazing and so-called 'smart appliances'.
Compulsory installation of fridges, washing machines, immersion heaters and so on, all connected to the internet, will allow the Government and the energy companies to monitor electricity consumption and switch off your supply if they think you're using too much.

And meanwhile in the real world that wont happen.

They aren’t banning new gas boilers in 2025 🙄
They aren’t putting them in new builds from 2025.
There aren’t nearly enough engineers for heat pumps currently.
My DH is a Gas engineer, boiler manufacturers are giving huge incentives for engineers to retrain on heat pumps.
He knows guys getting £1500 for every pump they install.

He also knows guys busy taking heat pumps out of properties because they are useless in tbe wrong house.
Gas boilers are still being produced and will be for at least 5 years, they are hydrogen-mix ready but that tech is still experimental

It’s for new builds only, not existing properties. And even then, new boilers as from now are mostly hydrogen ready. Hydrogen supply will be the next thing to go live, and that will be a gradual process that doesn’t even have a time scale yet. So don’t panic.

That’s your opinion. But if that’s true why is there all this stuff in the bill?