TWO law changes designed to make homes more environmentally friendly have been delayed.
Deputy Steve Luce has confirmed he is pushing back the proposed ban on replacing boilers with fossil-fuel boilers and the requirement for homes to have energy performance certificates at the point of sale.
Both initiatives had been due to be implemented in 2026 and formed part of Jersey’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap.
Although he stressed the government’s commitment to moving towards greener means of domestic heating, Deputy Luce said his first priority was to update by-laws covering building standards, with a review into this area due to take place later this year.
He said: “It makes total sense to begin the work on the building by-laws and technical guidance first, to consider exactly what standards will be required to help us meet our net-zero ambitions.
“Putting back the ban on replacement fossil-fuel boilers isn’t a cancellation of the policy, but is a signal that we’re reprioritising some of this work to make sure it’s done in the right order, at the right time.
“The current by-laws are designed to promote the use of low-carbon heating systems in new buildings and I’m sure it won’t be long before the market is ready to embrace this in existing buildings as well.
“I remain committed to supporting Islanders with the move towards greener ways of heating their homes, and the government-run low-carbon heating incentive continues to be successful, having so far helped around 275 local households.”
The low-carbon heating incentive provides up to £5,000 in match-funding to help Islanders with the cost of switching away from fossil-fuel heating systems in their homes.
Low-income households can apply for up to £10,000 without the need to match-fund.
Deputy Luce has also confirmed that he will delay the implementation of the legislation which would make energy performance certificates mandatory at the point of a home being sold, or a new tenancy being signed.
The certificates provide information about how energy efficient a building is, as well as highlighting the building’s emissions, using information about how it is built and heated.
The minister said he was committed to consulting interested parties on the technical and practical aspects of EPCs in 2024.
Revised dates for the two initiatives have not been confirmed, although Islanders can still apply for a subsidy towards an EPC or home energy audit.
