New figures show applications to the Government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme in December jumped by 49 per cent compared to the same month in 2022.

The surge in applications follows a 50 per cent increase in grants for air source heat pumps announced by the Prime Minister in October last year. Grants for heat pumps were boosted to £7,500 making the scheme one of the most generous of its kind in Europe.

The figures released also show a regional breakdown of where heat pumps have been installed in England and Wales.

The South West has seen the most with 3,655 installations, followed by the South East (excluding London) with 3,605 and then the East with 2,452.

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