By Paul Homewood
h/t Ian Magness
Energy scores for homes are to be overhauled by the Government, amid fears that under the current system installing a heat pump could cut the value of properties.
It comes after The Telegraph disclosed that several Cabinet ministers were already concerned about the speed of the transition to net zero and cost to households, amid record energy price increases and the biggest cost-of-living squeeze in a generation.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) grade a house from A to G based on efficiency, and the rating is increasingly tied to property prices.
Landlords are required to hit a minimum rating under upcoming rules and some mortgage providers take the certificates into account when lending.
But the way that the ratings are currently estimated means that replacing a traditional gas boiler with a heat pump can lower a home’s energy efficiency rating.
The Government has held meetings with the industry about a possible rule change to rectify the issue, The Telegraph can disclose.
A Whitehall source said: “We are aware of this problem and it is being reviewed.”
The Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay, the chairman of the Net Zero Scrutiny group, said: “Given that heat pumps can actually increase energy use, on which EPC certification is derived, they could push a property that might have been rated C under an old method into D.
“That could make it both unrentable and possibly even unsaleable, if some of the more nonsensical Net Zero measures that we hear about are realised.”
EPCs are currently based on an estimate of what it costs to heat a home rather than the carbon emissions generated. Heat pumps – which transfer thermal energy into a property from the ground or air – produce less CO2 than burning gas but are not necessarily recorded as being cheaper to run.
The Prime Minister has vowed to wean British households off natural gas as part of his pledge to hit net zero by 2050.
There was a very good reason why EPCs were introduced, which was to encourage energy efficiency and reduce energy costs.
As is pointed out, heat pumps do the opposite. This fact has been covered up for years by the renewable lobby, but now it seems to be officially admitted.
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
FEBRUARY 7, 2022
You must be logged in to post a comment.