Nearly 16,000 oil heated homes, technicians and fuel distributors responded to the Alternative Clean Heating Solutions consultation to support renewable liquid fuels. Write to the new Burnham government and urge them not to forget the commitments they made.
You are sending a letter to:
Complete the form below to send your letter to the minister
Please note, your name, email address and postcode will be included in the email alongside the letter.
Don’t forget previous commitments to oil heated households and rural communities like mine
Congratulations on your appointment as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
I am writing to you because I live in a rural area and rely on heating oil to keep my house warm. Like most people, I really want to play my part in cutting down my carbon emissions. Particularly as we’re already seeing the impact on the climate with the recent heatwaves.
That’s why I was one of the 16,000 oil heated households who took the time to respond to the Alternative Clean Heating Solutions consultation, published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, at the end of last year to support renewable liquid fuels.
The government’s main plan seems to be pushing everyone to install a heat pump. However, for my home, this simply isn’t realistic. The consultation itself said the average cost for homes like mine to switch to a heat pump is around £16,900. Even with the new £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for oil heated homes, there is still a significant shortfall.
This remaining cost is far too high and prices haven’t been coming down in recent years. I don’t have thousands of pounds to cover this massive gap. As a result, I have no choice but to keep using heating oil.
I believe I should have the option of doing more.
That’s why I want to instead switch to a renewable liquid fuel, specifically Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). I understand it could be used as a blend straight away in my existing boiler and tank with no upfront costs. It also avoids the disruption of ripping out my current heating system, which I would have to do with a heat pump. I can even keep using my regular local fuel supplier and technician, which keeps things completely straightforward.
I’ve read that the heating industry has already successfully run a trial using this fuel in around 150 homes over five years. It worked perfectly. They’ve shown that if we introduced just a 20% blend of HVO across the UK’s 1.7 million oil heated homes, it would have the same carbon saving impact as putting in 347,000 heat pumps. This would enable us to make immediate progress.
My message to you is simple. Please do not ignore the 16,000 people like me who responded to the previous government’s consultation in support of renewable liquid fuels. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has spoken passionately about rural areas outside of major towns and cities being overlooked. We deserve to be heard. That’s why I’m urging you to:
By switching to renewable liquid fuels, we have the opportunity to make a real impact on cutting carbon emissions. I hope this new government doesn’t kick the can down the road again.
Thank you for reading my letter and I look forward to hearing from you on the above three points.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
Complete the form below to send your letter to the minister
Please note, your name, email address and postcode will be included in the email alongside the letter.
Don’t forget previous commitments to oil heated households and rural communities
Congratulations on your appointment as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
I am writing to you as a business working in the liquid fuel sector serving oil heated households in off-grid communities every day. Like most people, I really want to play my part in helping us drive down carbon emissions. Particularly as we’re already seeing the impact on the climate with the recent heatwaves.
I speak with oil heated households every day and they share this view. That’s why I was one of the 16,000 people to respond to the Alternative Clean Heating Solutions consultation, published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero at the end of last year, to support renewable liquid fuels.
I know the government’s current policy is focussed on electrification which, for most oil heated homes, means installing a heat pump. From my experience though and from speaking with households, this just isn’t realistic for most of the properties I visit.
The consultation itself said the average cost for homes like mine to switch to a heat pump is around £16,900. Even with the new £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for oil heated homes, there is still a significant shortfall. My customers simply do not have the savings to cover that massive gap. The cost of heat pumps also hasn’t been coming down in recent years. This means they have no choice but to keep using heating oil.
They need a better alternative and it’s clear from the consultation response they want to switch to a renewable liquid fuel like Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). As someone working in the industry, I know this makes complete sense. We could drastically cut emissions with no massive upfront cost for the homeowner as a blend could be used straight away in their existing boiler and tank. It also avoids the disruption of ripping out their current heating system, which they would have to do with a heat pump.
The heating industry has already successfully run a trial using this fuel in around 150 homes over five years. It worked perfectly. They’ve shown that if we introduced just a 20% blend of HVO across the UK’s 1.7 million oil heated homes, it would have the same carbon saving impact as putting in 347,000 heat pumps. This would enable us to make immediate progress.
My message to you is simple. Please do not ignore the 16,000 oil heated households, technicians and fuel distributors who, like me, responded to the previous government’s consultation in support of renewable liquid fuels. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has spoken passionately about rural areas outside of major towns and cities being overlooked. We deserve to be heard. That’s why I’m urging you to:
By switching to renewable liquid fuels, we have the opportunity to make a real impact on cutting carbon emissions. I hope this new government doesn’t kick the can down the road again.
Thank you for reading my letter and I look forward to hearing from you on the above three points.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
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