AQW 4070/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 04/10/2022
Answered On Date: 12/10/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to outline what financial support is being planned to support private home owners in moving from home heating oil to a more environmentally sustainable alternative.

Answer:

My Department published the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy, The Path to Net Zero Energy, in December 2021. A key policy within this strategy is the phase-out of fossil fuel home heating oil, which will be necessary to achieve our vision of net zero emissions.

One pathway available to consumers of home heating oil to reduce emissions is to switch to a low carbon heating technology, for example a heat pump.

The Energy Strategy commits to a pilot support scheme to help domestic and small business consumers switch to these more environmentally sustainable, low carbon heat technologies. This pilot scheme, that will launch in 2023, is currently being developed by my Department. It is intended that this will be followed by a wider rollout of support in future years.

Further information on the pilot support scheme will be published at the earliest opportunity.