Question No: 2025/0009
Question (Thomas Turrell AM, Bexley & Bromley): 16th January 2025
In your Environment Strategy, on page 251 it says you will ‘deliver three-year (2018-20) commercial boiler scrappage scheme to incentivise the installation of more efficient gas and renewable heating systems, such as heat pumps’. Was delivering the initial 3-year scheme ambitious enough?
Answer (Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan): 21st January 2025
The project was the first commercial boiler scrappage scheme in the UK. Whilst the scheme was welcomed by the sector, the external barriers to delivery meant take-up was lower than hoped.
Challenges included the lack of external regulatory drivers to bring forward investments to replace existing working boilers. Most Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) do not own the freehold, and obtaining approval from landlords can be difficult and slow. The landlord/tenant split incentive further reduces businesses’ willingness to invest. Limited resources and knowledge to undertake commercial boiler replacement also acted as a barrier.
Question No: 2025/0010
Question (Thomas Turrell AM, Bexley & Bromley): 16th January 2025
Can funding provided please be broken down per financial year?
Answer (Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan): 21st January 2025
Funding provided through the scheme is broken down as follows:
2019 – £113,234.72
2020 - £81,095.71
2021 - £2,440.80
Question No: 2025/0011
Question (Thomas Turrell AM, Bexley & Bromley): 16th January 2025
In MD2172, one of the aims of the Scrappage Scheme was to: ‘improve air quality. By reducing NOx emissions by up to 80 tonnes per year (exact NOx savings will depend on the size and efficiency of existing boilers, and replacement systems). In addition, reducing human exposure to air pollution, leading to improved public health’. How is this quantifiable and measurable? Is there any data on the reduction of emissions from boilers replaced in this scheme?
Answer (Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan): 21st January 2025
The evaluation of the Cleaner Heat Cashback was completed in May 2021. By that stage the target had been revised down when funding was reallocated, so the updated target was 1,377kg NOx. 1377kg (1.377tonnes) target replaced the original 80 tonnes target as the funding was revised down.
The savings were modelled on the basis of the existing heating system and consumption, compared to the performance and projected reduction in consumption of the new system.
18 organisations were funded, the estimated savings were 590 kg NOx. There has not been a follow-up evaluation conducted on the impacts of the project.
Question No: 2025/0012
Question (Thomas Turrell AM, Bexley & Bromley): 16th January 2025
In MD2172, one of the aims of the Scrappage Scheme was ‘delivering non-domestic retrofits. Replacing around 900 commercial boilers across London’. How many retrofits were carried out in this scheme, and can this be broken down per year?
Answer (Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan): 21st January 2025
The initial target was changed when the funding for the project was reduced, due to challenges in delivery including a lack of acceptance by owners of business buildings. The scheme supported the replacement of 38 boilers across 18 organisations.
The breakdown of the number of boilers replaced per year was:
2019 – 24
2020 – 10
2021 – 3
Question No: 2025/0013
Question (Thomas Turrell AM, Bexley & Bromley): 16th January 2025
In MD2172, one of the aims of the Scrappage Scheme was ‘saving up to £7m per year off business’ fuel bills which will significantly help reduce overheads for SMEs and other potential local enterprises’. How much has this scheme saved SMEs in London and how was this calculated?
Answer (Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan): 21st January 2025
This data is not available at the current time.
Question No: 2025/0014
Question (Thomas Turrell AM, Bexley & Bromley): 16th January 2025
In MD2172, one of the aims of the Scrappage Scheme was ‘acting as a catalyst to spur on additional energy efficiency improvements (e.g. heating controls and insulation)’. Has the scheme spurred on additional energy efficiency improvements, and how it this measured?
Answer (Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan): 21st January 2025
As part of the evaluation of the project, organisations were asked whether the scheme had made them think about other ways to reduce their business environmental impacts. 17 out of the 18 organisations supported responded and 15 said they had done so.
