Government allocates £800 million for net zero home renovations.
According to a former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Communities and Local Government, the projected costs could range from £3 to £4 trillion.
The government has allocated nearly £800 million in grants for retrofitting homes with insulation measures to achieve net zero emissions.
Through a written question, the government disclosed that since 2020, £787 million has been spent on a program called the Local Authority Delivery Scheme (LAD) for net zero insulation installations.
This funding has been utilized for 58,892 homes, but critics highlight that fully retrofitting the entire domestic building stock in the UK could cost trillions.
Grants of up to £10,000 are provided to cover expenses like insulation installation.
‘Build Back Greener’
The UK has established a law to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and introduced a strategy named “Build Back Greener” to decarbonize all sectors of the economy.
Michael Kelly, former chief scientific adviser to the Department for Communities and Local Government and an expert on energy efficiency upgrades and housing decarbonization at the Global Warming Policy Foundation, emphasized the need to track the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from the LAD Scheme.
He pointed out that the UK has 28 million homes and converting all of them at the current pace would take over 1,000 years.
The Climate Change Committee advises the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets.
In estimating the cost, Mr. Kelly suggested it would amount to approximately £75,000 per house to retrofit to a high standard.
In 2019, former Chancellor Philip Hammond estimated that transitioning to a zero-carbon economy would cost “well over £1 trillion,” indicating significant implications for households, businesses, and the Exchequer.
Mr. Kelly’s estimation puts the cost between £3 and £4 trillion for improving buildings and expanding the electricity grid, excluding infrastructure for electric cars.
He mentioned the potential of nuclear energy as a solution if it were more accessible and devoid of CO2 emissions.
Regarding safety standards for nuclear power, he emphasized the stringent regulations in place.
Heat Pumps
The government disclosed spending nearly £140 million on grants covering half the cost of heat pumps, priced at up to £13,500 for purchase and installation.
An expert criticized the scheme for benefiting those with means, funded by taxpayers’ money.
Heat pumps are a part of the government’s strategy for achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with a target of 600,000 installations by 2028.
Mike Foster, CEO of the Energy and Utilities Alliance, raised concerns about the scheme not covering the full installation cost of a heat pump.
The Epoch Times sought comment from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
PA Media contributed to this report.
