Ed Miliband's Net Zero plans suffer double blow as heat pump rollout stalls and climate change concerns wane

Ed Miliband's Net Zero plans suffered a double blow today as official figures showed Britain's heat pump rollout has stalled - while separate Government data revealed concern about climate change is receding.

Official figures show just 2,459 heat pumps were installed through the Government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme in May - 147 fewer than in the same month last year.

The setback comes as the latest Government survey found the proportion of people saying they are "very concerned" about climate change fell from 44 per cent in autumn 2021 to 34 per cent this spring.

Overall concern about climate change has also dropped from 85 per cent to 78 per cent over the same period.

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Over the past 12 months, the Government-backed Boiler Upgrade Scheme averaged just 2,582 installations a month, leaving ministers a long way short of the pace needed to achieve Labour's target of 450,000 heat pump installations a year by 2030.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's latest Public Attitudes Tracker also found homeowners are becoming increasingly reluctant to install heat pumps.

Among owner-occupiers, 46 per cent now say they are unlikely to install an air source heat pump, up from 41 per cent in winter 2025. Reluctance to install a ground source heat pump has also risen from 48 per cent to 51 per cent.

The figures come a day after the Climate Change Committee reported heat pump installation growth was just seven per cent last year.

Analysis of the committee's published figures suggests annual heat pump installations would need to grow by around 37 per cent a year to reach the Government's target.

The figures are likely to raise fresh questions over whether ministers can persuade millions of households to abandon gas boilers in favour of low-carbon heating systems.

The Government's Warm Homes Plan places heat pumps at the heart of its strategy to decarbonise home heating, with grants available under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to help homeowners meet the upfront cost of installation.

The Public Attitudes Tracker also highlights an affordability divide behind the slow uptake. Among households earning below £30,000, only 17 to 20 per cent say they would consider installing an air source heat pump, compared with 28 to 31 per cent of those earning at least £30,000.

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Heat pumps are a low-carbon alternative to traditional gas boilers. Instead of burning gas, they use electricity to extract heat from the outside air or the ground before transferring it into homes to provide heating and hot water.

Supporters of the technology argue heat pumps are essential if Britain is to cut carbon emissions from home heating and say costs should continue to fall as manufacturing expands, more installers enter the market and consumer awareness grows.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, launched in 2022, offers Government grants to encourage homeowners in England and Wales to replace fossil fuel heating systems with low-carbon alternatives, principally air source and ground source heat pumps.

Andrew Montford, Director of Net Zero Watch, said: "It was inevitable that the excessive costs of Net Zero would turn people against it.

"In these hard economic times, luxury beliefs and luxury products like heat pumps are luxuries few can afford."

A spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: "The lesson of yet another fossil fuel crisis is the UK needs to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster and onto clean homegrown power we control to bring energy security and lower bills for good.

"The British people are showing record demand for heat pumps, with more than 100,000 sold last year alone.

"Through our Warm Homes Plan, low-income families could get a heat pump, solar panels and a battery at no cost at all."

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