Future Ready Fuel campaign update

As reported in the summer issue of Oil Installer, the continued high oil price has meant that much of our campaign plans for the first half of the year have had to be put on hold. It’s not sensible to ask homeowners to support our campaign when family budgets are being squeezed due to high energy prices. To do so could risk eroding the trust and goodwill we depend on.

Influencing policy makers in Westminster, Wales and Scotland

Despite this challenge a considerable amount of work has continued at a political level, particularly in the period since the local elections in England, and national elections in Wales and Scotland, which resulted in new minority nationalist governments.

We have reached out to the new ministers responsible for energy and rural affairs in both devolved countries, and meetings have also been secured with members of relevant government committees. This is particularly important in Scotland where we expect the Heat in Buildings Bill will soon be back on the agenda. In its revised form, the Bill is much more supportive of the needs of rural off-gas grid communities and of the use of biofuels such as HVO for heating. It’s important that these changes are retained in the final version so, as well as speaking to the governing Scottish National Party, we have also engaged with parties that are most likely to support them – particularly the Liberal Democrats.

This work is going well, but we are acutely conscious that influencing the new Burnham-led Government will be critical to success. Regardless of how persuasive we can be, nothing is likely to be as effective at getting their attention as the voices of the 16,000 people who responded to the Government’s consultation on alternative clean heating solutions to support renewable liquid fuels. With that in mind, we are planning an autumn campaign that we hope will get a large number of letters heading to the new DESNZ minister, Miatta Fahnbulleh, asking that the outcome of the consultation be respected and acted on.

Time flies! HVO demonstration project celebrates five years

It’s hard to believe that our HVO demonstration project began five years ago. Those were dark days for the industry when we faced the threat of a proposed ban on the installation of new oil boilers from 2026. Thanks to our campaigning the threat was averted, and much of that was due to the success of the demonstration project, particularly in Cornwall, where several homes are still actively using HVO. We may not yet achieved full policy support for renewable liquid heating fuels, we are still part of the conversation and there are many reasons to remain positive.

You can read about this wonderful project as we reflect on its achievements here.

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