SNP set to penalise homeowners with fresh ‘ridiculous’ policy that will prevent Scottish people with gas boilers from selling their homes
- First Minister Humza Yousaf is considering controversial ban for homeowners
- Scots would be required to swap gas boilers for heat pumps which cost £10,000
The Scottish National Party could be about to penalise homeowners with a fresh ‘ridiculous’ policy that will prevent Scots with gas boilers from selling their homes.
First Minister Humza Yousaf is considering the controversial ban which could cripple homeowners unless they swap their gas boilers for heat pumps.
It comes after Mr Yousaf was accused of ‘blatant misuse of public money and resources’ on plans for a Scottish passport in the event of a split from the UK.
Now, a new policy change could see properties forced to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above at certain trigger points by 2025, including in a sale, GB News reports.
Properties currently meeting the C grading will likely be downgraded if they do not implement the proposed changes. Strong EPC ratings are vital as they currently indicate how much it costs to heat a home. Ratings could include the type of heating in the future.
First Minister Humza Yousaf (pictured) is considering the controversial ban which could cripple homeowners unless they swap their gas boilers for heat pumps
The SNP is ready to penalise homeowners with a ‘ridiculous’ policy that will prevent Scots with gas boilers (pictured) from selling their homes
If the changes go through, lower EPC ratings could be given to huge swathes of Scots unless they install more eco-friendly sources of heating such as heat pumps which can cost around £7,000 to £14,000 to buy and install.
The Government’s £150m drive to get Britons to install heat pumps in their homes was labeleld ‘shameful’ in April after missing its installation target.
Furious Scots reacted to the proposed changes, with some claiming there was ‘no chance’ the SNP could get away with it.
One user simply tweeted: ‘Ridiculous!’. While another posted: ‘Good luck with that plan. If the snp bring that idea closer than a thought process they have absolutely zero chance at the next election. Not that they did anyway.’
A third said: ‘Good luck with that. No chance.’ And a fourth added: ‘Well that will be a popular policy, I’m sure.’
Patrick Harvie, the green zero carbon buildings minister, said the Scottish Government wanted ‘all homes to reach new energy efficiency standards by no later than 2033’.
‘Improved energy efficiency is essential but nowhere near enoughm’ he wrote in the Herald on Sunday.
‘We can’t insulate our way to zero carbon buildings. To do that we need to change the way we heat homes.
Furious Scots reacted to the proposed changes, with some claiming there was ‘no chance’ the SNP could get away with it
The Government’s £150m drive to get Britons to install heat pumps (pictured) in their homes was labeleld ‘shameful’ in April after missing its installation target
Patrick Harvie, the green zero carbon buildings minister, said the Scottish Government wanted ‘all homes to reach new energy efficiency standards by no later than 2033’
‘To meet our 2030 targets alone, more than one million Scottish homes will need to change to a climate-friendly heating system: a massive transition – as big as the shift from coal to gas last century, but in a shorter timescale.’
The Scottish Conservative Party has raised concerns about the financial burden families could face amid the cost of living crisis.
Douglas Lumsden, the Tory party’s shadow net zero secretary, said: ‘The green minister is typically acting like he knows best by ploughing ahead with these plans.
‘This is hugely naive considering he has put in a pitiful amount of the funding required to support homeowners to replace gas boilers.
‘Penalising them during a cost of living crisis is simply unacceptable. While we all want to see a just transition, policies must be fair and measured.’
The Scottish Government has confirmed that it will cost an estimated £33billion to convert all homes to zero emissions.
Homeowners would, however, be given an initial support package of around £1.8billion during the current Parliament.
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