Not a single home air conditioning unit has been installed under the Government’s £2,500 grant scheme seven months after it was announced, due to delays in the certification process.
Only 62 households applied for vouchers for air-to-air heat pumps, which provide both heating and cooling, during the first two months of the scheme opening, and no vouchers were issued.
Industry figures said the Government was “playing catch up” as the ongoing heatwave drives demand for air conditioning, particularly within vulnerable peoples’ homes.
They argued the lack of progress is due to delays in the installer accreditation process, with certification bodies still not having released the necessary documents for installers to be able to fit the units in homes.
The grant’s eligibility criteria has also been criticised for being too restrictive, as it is currently only accessible to homeowners who can afford to contribute towards the cost of the work themselves.
Government ‘playing catch up’
In November last year, the Government announced it would provide £2,500 vouchers for air-to-air heat pumps, a version of the technology that can heat or cool indoor spaces from a wall mounted unit.
The vouchers are available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which can be accessed by homeowners in England and Wales who are replacing a fossil fuel heating system, such as a gas boiler.
Plans to expand the scheme to include air-to-air heat pumps and thermal batteries for hot water storage were first revealed last summer by The i Paper.
The first grants became available in April, but the rules stipulate that the work must be carried out by installers accredited with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).
However, it is currently impossible to get certified with MCS for air-to-air heat pumps as the body is yet to issue the necessary documents to installers.
The MCS said it is currently waiting for another body, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) – the national accreditation body – to provide final approval, but there is no timeline on when that might happen.
Jess Ralston, Head of Energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said the official bodies should “get the finger out” as Britain continues to swelter under record breaking temperatures.
“It doesn’t feel like this hot weather is going anywhere this summer and it would be nice to be able to tell people that help is on the way,” she said.
“It is really frustrating for people knowing that this government money is sitting there and if you want air con, essentially at the moment there is a delay in getting because this document just isn’t ready,” she said.
Bean Beanland, Director for External Affairs at the Heat Pump Federation, said there was a “mature” air conditioning industry in the UK that is ready to install air-to-air heat pumps when the accreditation becomes available.
He said the inclusion of air-to-air heat pumps in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme was a necessary “first step” in driving innovation within the air conditioning market, however, he accused the Government of playing “catch up”.
Demand for air conditioning has soared in recent months as the UK has experienced a succession of heatwaves, which have seen temperatures above 34°C recorded on eight separate days.
Beanland said there is “history of air conditioning being frowned upon” and seen as “excessive” in the UK.
“At 22/23 degrees you don’t need air conditioning. We get up to the mid-30s, you absolutely need to start providing, particularly the vulnerable, with air conditioning,” he said.
Air conditioning grants not available to most
There are currently no options for low-income households to access fully funded grants for air-to-air heat pumps, despite concerns over how vulnerable people are fairing in the extreme heat.
Beanland said one of the “constraints” of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is that households have to get rid of their fossil fuel heating system and find a new “whole house” solution.
Air-to-air heat pumps typically only work in one room and cannot heat water, which means they have to be combined with other solutions such as a standard heat pump or an immersion heater.
This means homeowners are still likely to spend thousands of pounds on upgrades on top of the Government grant.
Ralston said the Government could have provided low-income households with air conditioning via the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, before the Chancellor scrapped the initiative earlier this year.
The Government is due to replace this with a new green upgrade scheme for low income households, but this is not yet up and running meaning there are very few options available for those who cannot afford to upgrade their home.
Ralston said this should be a priority for ministers given the extreme weather we are now experiencing.
“People who are most at risk in the heat are old people, kids, also people with long-term illnesses or disabilities. They are more vulnerable and susceptible to overheating and the serious health implications that come with that,” she said.
A spokesperson for MCS said its “priority” was “ensuring that air-to-air is brought into the scheme in a way that delivers quality to consumers and continues to give everyone confidence in home-grown energy”.
A DESNZ spokesperson said: “Brits are showing record demand for heat pumps and our Warm Homes Plan will help roll out clean power technology to millions.
“With our new £2,500 grant for air-to-air heat pumps, we are making sure everyone can access the savings they can bring and boosting our energy security.”
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