Green Co-Leader’s gas boiler raises eyebrows amid energy efficiency push

Green Party co-leader admits she has a gas boiler despite telling landlords to focus on energy efficiency improvements.

Carla Denyer told ITV’s The Leader Interviews, “she was in the process of getting quotes for a heat pump” but had to pause the process during the general election campaign.

The Green Party’s manifesto pledge includes EPC B targets for properties and a tenant’s right to demand energy efficiency improvements.

I have a gas boiler

Ms Denyer told ITV’s the Leader Interviews: “At the moment I have a gas boiler and I’m literally in the process of getting quotes for replacing it with an air source heat pump.

“I’ve had to put that on pause during the general election as you can imagine but I  literally have quotes in my email inbox.”

The Green Party manifesto claims they will invest £29bn over the next five years to insulate homes to EPC B standard or above, as part of a ten-year programme.

The party says: “£12bn of this will be to retrofit the social housing stock and £17bn as grants to retrofit privately owned homes to a similar standard.”

The party also pledges to invest £9bn over the next five years for heating systems (e.g. heat pumps) for homes and other buildings.

The Green Party is also encouraging landlords to prioritise energy efficiency improvements and is proposing a new right for renters to request these upgrades.

Labour will ban new gas boilers

Labour has also pledged to scrap Conservatives’ plan to ban new gas boilers from 2035.

Ed Miliband told the Daily Telegraph: “On home heating – as we said in our manifesto – no one’s going to be forced to rip out their boiler, we’re absolutely clear about that.”

Mr Miliband says he has installed a heat pump but acknowledges more needs to be done to make heat pumps affordable.

He adds: “We haven’t stuck with the government’s 2035 target when you can’t replace your gas boiler. I know that we’ve got to show that heat pumps are affordable and are going to work for people.”