Scots-could-be-banned-from-selling-homes-without-a-heat-pump

[Scotsgirl001]

Surely this will cant happen. How do they expect the average person to be able to afford to install a heat pump in their home. Honestly I despair!
Scots could be banned from selling homes without heat pumps (agcc.co.uk)

The telegraph article is behind a paywall, can anyone access and paste it?

And meanwhile, they're pissing more money away on creating documentation and policies on how people would obtain Scottish citizenship in the event of independence.

The SNP go to of course! Increase taxes on wages and tell you you're a terrible, evil person if you voice dissent or uncertainty on that.
We should be GLAD we are earning anything and GLAD to fund all the SNP schemes!

The fact that they don't understand the majority of Scottish housing stock with this hair brained scheme is ridiculous!
Heat pumps only work well when a house is well insulated. They are not suitable for old houses as even with lots of work done to improve insulation the houses were originally designed to breathe. So blocking that all off is not sensible and can lead to more issues.

They also haven't been approved for use in conservation zones and what on earth do they plan to do about Victorian flats.......

Stupid doesn't even come close on this one no doubt they will try and press on regardless because they always know best regardless of any consultation or contrary information!

I do wonder - living in conservation zone - if the answer isn’t just to dump all planning restrictions, let us plaster our homes in solar panels and get an electric boiler? How many solar panels and back up batteries would be needed to run an electric boiler at a reasonable cost? Are electric boilers energy efficient?

this link contains info from British Gas about boilers and heat pumps, and certainly puts PH is his place.
https://yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/harvie-scaremongering-is-mince/
PH shouldn't be allowed to open his mouth without a minder.

@Stuckathomeagain - electric boilers are massively expensive to run.

When I bought my current flat, it had an electric boiler which cost £225 a month to run, pre-energy crisis - it would be double that now.

I looked in to air pumps, but it would have been prohibitively expensive for me - well over 10k as I did not qualify for government support (no benefits etc).

It was cheaper to pipe in gas & put in a new gas boiler. 3K.

And the air pump would have been directly outside my bedroom & the neighbours - noisy & obstructive.

Just to repeat what I said above. You do not need to be in receipt of benefits to get Scottish Government grants for heat pumps. They can be up to £9k for a property.

You can also put heat pumps in a conservation area but at the moment they have to be at the rear of the property and ground floor.

Don't hold your breath for hydrogen boilers. It would be massively expensive and disruptive to do this. It's also less efficient than heat pumps, untested in household environment and more carbon emissions. It may well involve changing all pipework in the network and in your house. Guidance from the Committee for Climate Change (independent of UK and Scots Gov) is that hydrogen shouldn't be used for heating.

Funnily enough boiler manufacturers and gas distributors are keen to push hydrogen as a solution. But I really don't think it will happen.

@Jeevesnotwooster - I spoke to energy improvement Scotland (I think that's what they are called) about costs & what I was entitled to towards it. It was prohibitively expensive.

And I'm in a ground floor 70's flat - I do not want a noisy pump right outside my bedroom window (where it would need to go) & it would also impact my neighbours- they were not happy.

The "up to 9k " is for every rural properties so generally speaking the grant aid is a maximum of £7.5k.
Appreciate that this is not means tested but the balance of an installation will need to be paid for. I have not seen any reports where the cost of installation is completely covered by the available maximum grant of £7.5k.

Might want to tell that to planning authorities then.....planning permissions in my area have been rejected for solar panels and heat pumps for not keeping with historic buildings of the area.

We've enough solar panels (+ a battery) to power the house in the summer. DH says we'd need to double the number of panels and battery capacity to run electric heating.

We also got zilch help from the govt to install the panels, which rankles somewhat, considering our 'eco' government.

Why should the government pay the whole cost? They don't pay for everyone's boilers and radiators normally.

No but perhaps they should if they are insisting upon a heat pump being fitted before you can sell your house. Especially for those people who can't afford upfront costs.

And perhaps they should increase support to people to improve insulation or install double glazing. Usually people are more inclined to do things if there is an incentive. The current administration seem to prefer the stick rather than the carrot

But nothing has actually said they there will be a requirement to have a heat pump before you sell! What has been said is they want to change the EPC system

If there is a requirement to have a particular level of EPC before selling (and I haven't seen anything saying that) then (a) it won't be effective until some point in the future and (b) that doesn't necessarily mean you have a heat pump. You might reach the EPC level some other way (eg district heating, electric heating, super insulation).

So when our boilers reach end of life (which they will do) they are replaced with a heat pump or other low carbon emission heating system.

There are also grants for insulation and double glazing. Again open to all. But more grants for those on benefits I think

''A number of homeowners could soon find themselves in limbo when planning to sell their home as properties with gas boilers may very well be banned from being sold north of the border under fresh plans being mooted by the Scottish government.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) sees a potential ban as key to encouraging Scots to swap gas boilers for heat pumps.

The potential move would force properties in Scotland to meet the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above at certain trigger points by 2025, including during a sale.

But it is being reported that the EPC ratings system will undergo further changes which will enforce stricter green standards.

The change will likely ensure properties which currently meet the C grading will be downgraded.

Possible lower scores could be handed out homeowners across Scotland with additional pressure for homeowners to install low carbon sources of heating, such as a heat pump, at a cost of up to £10,000.

EPC ratings currently consider how costly it is to heat a home. But reforms mean the revamped rating could also include the type of heating.'

From propertyindustryeye.com/homes-with-gas-boilers-could-be-banned-from-being-sold-under-government-plans/#:~:text=The%20Scottish%20National%20Party%20(SNP,2025%2C%20including%20during%20a%20sale.

@Waitwhat23 Thank you !!

Bit of reality yesterday ok he's a Lord but he does have a heat pump company so knows about their working ability!

www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/humiliation-scottish-greens-heat-pump-30588325

I'm rural Aberdeenshire and whilst we don't get as low as Ballater or Aboyne we are regularly below -5 for weeks at a time in Winter!

Me too @Scottishskifun

We’re getting close to making the decision that our longterm future isn’t in Scotland. I’m sick to the back teeth of the SNP, the Greens and their absolute incompetence, all against the backdrop of higher taxes and for what - for them to indulge their vanity independence project and half baked projects such as ferries, bottle scheme and suing U.K. gov over the self ID issue - and that’s aside from the destruction of the Scottish education system and everything else they turn their attention to. How can we have any faith in an administration run by persons who can’t even manage their own party finances without criminal investigations into potential embezzlement - at the very least, there has clearly been rank incompetence. I’m afraid that the small number of higher rate taxpayers (6-8 per cent total Scottish population only) will likewise exit if they can. Most people can work down south easily enough.

@EvelynBeatrice yes my DH and I have had the same conversation and decided if a referendum was to go ahead then we will move South we wouldn't even wait for the actual vote or outcome as it will be more toxic afterwards regardless.

Some of our friends were surprised, others (who are Scots) asked where we would move to and would they like the areas..... as they say some people vote with their feet!

I'm no SNP/Greens fan, but I can't get as upset about ferries & bottle schemes in comparison to the shower of Cunts in Westminster.

I can get upset about both Govts. Both are corrupt and incompetent, and we all deserve far better.

It’s usually best to carry out environmental improvements when something actually needs replacing, not to retrofit with the resulting waste old boilers etc before they have had their full lifespan.

I haven’t checked but do all new houses in Scotland now have to have a heat pump or solar, and no planning permission otherwise? Or could I still buy a new home with, say, gch I wonder.

Same here - we are beginning to feel like Scotland isn't where we want to be any more. We calculated how much we are losing due to the difference in tax bands plus the rumours that HRT payers will be paying even more next year. We are facing an astronomical council tax rise for our modest house. Then you read nonsense like this and it's almost the straw that breaks us. A referendum will likely do it.