Dale Vince Urges Britain to Replace Heat-Pump Grants with Rooftop Solar Investment

Labour donor and Ecotricity founder Dale Vince argued that the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) – which provides roughly £2.7 billion in funding through to 2029-30 and grants of £7,500 for most air-to-water and ground-source heat pumps and £2,500 for air-to-air units – should be abandoned. He contended that the subsidies deliver “no return ever” and that the money could instead “solarise a million rooftops,” potentially saving families about £500 a year on energy bills while generating an 8 percent return for the public purse. Vince cited a government assumption that 30 percent of recipients would have bought a heat pump anyway and pointed to polling by his Green Britain Foundation indicating two-thirds of heat-pump owners report higher heating costs.

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The BUS aims to cut emissions by encouraging households to replace gas boilers with heat pumps. Government estimates suggest a typical gas-fueled home could save around £250 annually after installation. To date, more than 90,000 households have received grants, and independent monitoring data show a 94 percent satisfaction rate among recipients, according to the Heat Pump Association UK.

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Beyond the solar proposal, Vince outlined a four-policy package he calls “peoplenomics.” The plan includes reforming the wholesale energy market to control prices, a national house-building programme on brownfield sites, a rooftop-solar rollout, and a suite of tax reforms. He also advocated for price-controlled North Sea oil and gas production, proposing a guaranteed price based on cost-plus-profit to lower domestic energy bills. Vince said he presented the idea directly to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who responded “positively.”

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A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero noted record demand for heat pumps and solar panels, referencing the Warm Homes Plan’s rollout of clean-power technology to millions. The department also announced that plug-in solar panels will be available for order from retailers such as Argos.

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