Agents hot under the collar about Boiler Upgrade Scheme

The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme application process is so complex property agents and their landlords do not think it is worth applying to.

That’s the view of Propertymark following a survey of member agents on the scheme which launched in April and offers home owners in England and Wales grants of £5,000 towards the cost of an air source heat pump, £6,000 for a ground source heat pump, and £5,000 for a biomass boiler.

However, according to the independent Energy Saving Trust depending on the size of the property and heat pump required the average cost is up to £13,000 to buy and install.

The Propertymark survey found:

- 25 per cent of Propertymark letting agent members said their landlords felt the application process was too lengthy and complicated considering what they perceived to be a small grant;

- 29 per cent said their landlords would be willing to use the scheme when the size of the grant covered more of the installation cost;

- And 73 per cent said their landlords did not apply due to the amount of funding available compared to the overall cost of retrofitting a rented property.

Propertymark is calling on the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to increase the size of the grant, expand on the type of low carbon heating systems it could be used for, and to develop a national marketing strategy to build awareness of the scheme. It also wants to see a new grant scheme that provides funding based on the individual energy efficiency requirements of each home.

Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns for Propertymark, says: “The UK Government will need to seriously rethink its strategy to decarbonise housing if we are to get anywhere close to supporting homeowners and meeting the proposed targets for the private rented sector.

“Our member feedback shows that current levels of support provided by the UK Government does not meet the costs of installing low carbon heating systems, meaning that few agents and their customers are willing to engage with support programmes. This is especially concerning given the rising cost of energy for landlords, tenants and homeowners. 

“Fundamentally a more comprehensive support programme or an alternative solution that encourages more homes to become energy efficient is needed.”