An air source heat pump undergoing its annual service in Kent (Image: Getty)
Ed Miliband’s so-called “boiler tax” will force heat pumps onto people by making gas boilers unaffordable, Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has warned.
The have slammed the Government’s confirmation that 6% of sales by boiler manufacturers must be heat pumps or they will be forced to pay a fee for each missed installation.
Manufacturers have previously pushed back against what they have dubbed the “boiler tax”.
Several firms – including Worcester Bosch and Vaillant – warned of price hikes on their boilers by around £100 in a bid to offset the cost of possible fines.
Ms Coutinho said: “Today Labour have quietly introduced a new tax on boiler companies that don’t sell enough heat pumps.
“It gives Ed Miliband open-ended powers to force heat pumps on people by making the price of gas boilers unaffordable.
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“The climate change lobby have been itching to get this on the statute book for years because it uses higher costs to force people to buy heat pumps.
“Once law, green activists will use the courts and our legally binding carbon targets, which has just increased, to force steeper fines in the years ahead – causing real hardship.
“As Secretary of State I scrapped this policy earlier this year because free markets are a better way to make sure cheaper products and better tech improve lives.
“We need to put living standards first. There is no point in being world leading if the public is poorer – no one else will want to follow our lead.”
Mr Miliband’s department announced measures to make it easier for households to get a heat pump by pouring an extra £30million into a grants scheme that gives households £7,500 off costs.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) also revealed plans to allow more households to install air source heat pumps without needing to submit planning applications.
Minister for energy consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “The idea at the heart of our Warm Homes Plan is a simple one – all families deserve the security of a home they can afford to heat.
“But for too long, that has been out of reach for far too many people who have been left with draughty homes and sky-high bills.
“That is why we are taking immediate action today to make cleaner heating available to more households.”