The Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) has poured cold water on the Government’s fast-tracked plans to fit 5.5 million heat pumps in UK homes by 2030.

The target is to phase out all gas boilers by 2035 as part of its green ten-point plan and while concerns have already been raised about the lack of trained installers, the industry body has now advocated caution.

HHIC director Stewart Clements says that while the ambition is positive, it has to be prepared for what happens if it can’t meet that ambition.

He says: “The accelerated timelines will be very difficult to achieve in practice. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy needs to urgently engage with the heating industry to fully understand what we can start to deliver, and what we will need to put into place.”

Clements believes more work is needed on reskilling the workforce and developing supply chains and has also called for a reduction in red tape to let more people access support schemes such as the Green Homes Grant.

Clements (pictured) adds: “As an industry we are committed to helping and supporting the UK reach our carbon reduction targets. If a collaborative approach is adopted the heating industry is confident it can reduce emissions to meet our net zero goals.”

It follows news that the Green Homes Grant can’t keep up with demand as there aren’t enough registered tradespeople to do the work under the popular scheme; with only 1,200 TrustMark registered installers, some homeowners and landlords are struggling to get work booked in.

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