Brecon and Radnorshire MP calls for greater support for off-grid homes

During a debate on the decarbonisation of homes in Westminster, David Chadwick highlighted that Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe has an extremely high number of homes not connected to the national gas grid, with most being reliant on heating oil to keep their homes warm.

The Liberal Democrats have stated that these households have borne the brunt of energy price rises caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and also tend to experience the worst of the cold weather due to their rural nature.

Powys has the highest number of off-gas grid properties in Wales, with 35,790 properties (52%) in the county not connected to the gas network. 

David Chadwick highlighted during the debate that the Government should provide greater support to install heat pumps in off-grid homes, highlighting that this would not only benefit the environment, but also substantially reduce household bills for rural residents.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have also previously highlighted that under current rates, the Welsh Labour Government insulation programme would take over 135 years to insulate all fuel-poor homes in Wales and have called for improvements in the scheme and for off-grid households to be prioritised.

Mr Chadwick MP said: “Mid Wales has a huge number of homes not connected to the national gas grid that have experienced even higher price increases in recent years than the already high bills those on the grid have seen.

“Yet it doesn’t seem that the Government has any clear plan to address this problem.

“With air source heat pumps costing an average of £8,000 and ground source heat pumps going for a staggering £28,000+, it is simply unviable for most off-grid families to make the change without greater Government support.

“We also need to see insulation programmes improved so that off-grid homes can store heat better, this is especially true in rural Wales which often has old and poorly insulated housing.”