Critics said the decision to scrap the requirement, originally introduced to mitigate noise pollution, was simply “another quick fix” to inflate heat pump uptake figures amid weak demand for the green technology.
Andrew Montford, of Net Zero Watch, said: “Heat pumps are clearly a mistake. They are expensive to install and expensive to run, and now it seems they are going to set neighbour against neighbour too. It’s hard to identify any redeeming features at all.”
In 2023, the previous government announced that the “arbitrary” one-metre rule would be scrapped after developers complained it was too challenging to implement.
Mr Miliband, the Energy Secretary, is spearheading the mass adoption of heat pumps and has a target of fitting 600,000 a year in Britain by 2028. In the past 12 months, only 65,600 have been installed, according to MCS, the certification body. …
Local authorities are said to be bracing for a rise in noise complaints as Labour pushes ahead with the heat pump rollout.
To encourage demand, ministers are doubling next year’s funding for a heat pump subsidies scheme that allows families to claim up to £7,500 towards the cost of a new unit....<<<Read More>>>...
