image expired

A new Green Home Grant is essential if government is serious about meeting new carbon targets, the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) has said.

The comments come after the UK government announced a new climate change target to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 based on 1990 levels.

Prior to enshrining its net zero commitment in law, the UK had a target of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050 - but the government now aims to achieve almost the same level 15 years earlier.

Mark Bridgeman, President of the CLA which represents 28,000 farmers and land managers across England and Wales, said:

“More than 800,000 rural homes are heated by oil, and will need to transition to cleaner sources of power in coming years, such as heat pumps. But the Energy Saving Trust estimates that it costs £19,000 to install one pump, with the annual bill saving of using the technology just £20 a year. If Government does not help bring about a green transition for rural communities – which so often are first to suffer the impacts of climate change in this country – then we risk it never happening at all.”

“We need a new Green Home Grant made available without delay. A new, reformed scheme, properly thought through and adapted to serve the whole country, is required if the Government is serious about embarking on a journey to net zero carbon emissions.”

The new target will become enshrined in law by the end of June 2021.