21st September 2023
The government have announced plans to delay the ban on oil boilers until 2035, providing a 9-year extension on the proposals made in October 2021. The original ban would have meant no oil boilers could be replaced from 2026 and instead a heat pump would need to be installed. That date has been pushed out to 2035, while a proposed 20% of very hard to convert homes, will be exempt all together.
As you may have seen, Certas Energy (Scottish Fuels) and our trade association UKIFDA have been working hard on making the case for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a replacement for kerosene (the current heating oil used in the UK). This would reduce CO2 in heating oil homes by 90%. You can find more information on that here.
We at Scottish Fuels fundamentally support the need to achieve net zero by 2050, in fact our strategy is to reduce our and our customers carbon intensity by half by 2030. That means we will continue to work on how HVO can realistically and economically be provided as an option to homeowners. Moreover, we are investing in other renewable energy sectors such as solar and heat pumps so that we can enable our customers to take part in their own energy transition when it is best for them.
Meanwhile, this change in government policy gives you more time to look at the options that are right for you and your home.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?
The delay allows households who run on heating oil and the Government, the time to reduce the cost of conversion to heat pumps and ensure there is a thorough and in-depth, exploration of other suitable options such as renewable liquid fuel alternatives like HVO.
As the UK’s most trusted and number one supplier of heating oil in the UK, we are working hard to ensure that as soon HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) becomes affordable for households, we will be able to offer it to our customers in the same way in which you order your current heating oil.
A recent survey of over 3,000 UK Certas Energy (Scottish Fuels) customers identified that 73% of households we unclear about the proposals to ban oil boilers in the UK and 83% were “unsure about my options for heating my home if oil boilers are banned”. We have been working closely with the Future Ready Fuel campaign led by UKIFDA and OFTEC calling on the government to:
• Provide more support for renewable liquid fuels
• Make it easier for homeowners to switch to renewable heating
We will continue to keep you informed and keep supplying you with heating oil.
