That was the easy bit...

Setting targets to reduce carbon emissions and making pledges to address the country’s reliance on fossil fuels are relatively easy ways to generate some positive headlines, but committing to policies and delivering outcomes have proved to be a rather more challenging proposition for successive governments. Dubbed ‘Powering Up Britain’, the government’s most recent set of proposals to scale up affordable, clean energy and promote green industries have been heralded as tackling climate change concerns while also addressing energy security issues.

However, as with so many similar announcements, the success or failure of such initiatives are only likely to be determined long after the politicians who made them have left the scene. That being the case, while there might be some plaudits to be gained by being seen to be forward thinking and establishing long-term goals, there is not so much glory in actually seeing them through. How often have previous administrations made noises about investing in Britain’s nuclear future with very little actual progress to show for their ambitions?

The latest pronouncements included an extension of the current heat pump incentive scheme for a further three years – now set to run until 2028. While welcoming the government’s apparent commitment to encouraging the growth of heat pump sales, some manufacturers have expressed doubts about whether the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will ultimately prove successful having underperformed since its launch in May last year. It has been suggested that the disappointing take-up of grants thus far can be put down to a lack of publicity and an unwillingness of the government to actually promote the scheme (see news item on page 6) – some cynics might even suggest that ministers would be quite happy if the funding announced doesn’t ultimately need to leave the Treasury.

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