New Builds
From 2025, the Future Homes Standard will require CO2 emissions produced by new homes to be 75-80% lower than those built to current standards. Homes will need to be 'zero carbon ready', with no retrofit work required to benefit from the decarbonisation of the electricity grid and the electrification of heating. Therefore, if you buy a new build after this date, the home will be designed for and fitted with low-carbon heating. Many home builders are currently building properties with Low Carbon Heating solutions.
Existing Properties (Retrofit)
Homes that have not been fully designed for Low-Carbon heating will require retrofitting. Retrofitting is the process of improving a home so it becomes more energy efficient with lower emissions.
Did you know that the houses we live in are responsible for more than a fifth of the UK's carbon emissions? This is mainly due to how we heat our homes, with most houses using fossil fuels that produce a lot of harmful emissions. To achieve the goal of zero emissions by 2050, homeowners will need to make some big changes to how they heat their homes. This is especially important because homes in the UK lose heat much faster than homes in other countries. Since most of the homes people will be living in by 2050 have already been built, ways to make them more energy-efficient need to be found so that we can reduce the impact on the environment.
The UK wants to reduce its carbon emissions to zero by 2050, but most homes are not energy-efficient enough to help achieve this goal. The government wants to encourage people to make their homes more energy-efficient by providing financial assistance to retrofit homes with better insulation and low-carbon heating systems. Social housing projects are already being retrofitted in stages, and new laws will ensure that retrofitting is done properly.
However, it may be difficult for private homeowners to retrofit their homes due to cost. The government is therefore working to provide grants and loans to help homeowners retrofit their homes and switch to low-carbon heating systems. Every home is different, so the retrofitting process will be unique for each homeowner based on their home's age, quality, and current insulation.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)
Since March 2022, the UK Government has been running a program that offers grants for upgrading boilers. The aim of this initiative is to help property owners switch to Low-Carbon heating systems like heat pumps. The grant is intended to help cover the initial costs of installing these eco-friendly heating technologies and is available to both domestic and small non-domestic properties from 2022 until 2025.
The amount of the grant offered will depend on the type of heating system you choose, with the value ranging from £5,000 to £6,000. Your installer will submit the application for the grant on your behalf. Our guide, Navigating the UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme, provides a summary of all you need to know about this scheme. To check your eligibility, you can visit the Boiler Upgrade Scheme page on Gov.uk. https://www.gov.uk/apply-boiler-upgrade-scheme
