Head of climate watchdog behind boiler ban plan admits he still has gas heating in his home - saying...
The chief of a climate watchdog responsible for lobbying to has admitted he still uses gas heating in his home. Climate Change Committee boss , from Glasgow, said it was 'very difficult' to install in flats like his. His watchdog lobbied the Government to ban installing in new homes from 2025 and stop selling them completely from 2035. At the House of Commons environmental audit committee last month, Mr Stark said: 'The capital cost of [installing a heat pump] is too high at the moment. 'It can be brought down, but that will not happen unless there is scale installation and scale production. 'That is one of the biggest barriers. There is not an installer community for heat pumps at the moment.' He added: 'I have a gas boiler. I wish I didn't, but I live in a flat and heat pumps are a very difficult thing to put in there.' He said the boiler engineer he uses thought heat pumps would 'never work'. Mr Stark suggested the Government consider tax incentives to make heat pumps more affordable as well as take steps to drive down the price of . It came as plans to ban new oil boilers were t following backlash amongst MPs - with some Government insiders now insisting it was just a 'proposal'. Whitehall sources said the initial proposal was spearheaded by 's Government, which put it out for consultation and that it is uncertain whether will charge ahead as planned. The proposal - which will ban the boilers in off-grid homes and introduce air-source heat pumps by 2026, was criticised by the former environment secretary. Last week, urged the Prime Minister to scrap the plans, that fall under the net zero strategy. He compared it to the controversial