- The UK Government’s recently announced £15 billion Warm Homes Plan is set to allow families across the UK to benefit from a number of energy saving items, including solar panels, battery storage, heat pumps, and insulation.
- However, the possible effects of this new plan go beyond just the main headlines of warmer, more insulated homes and cheaper energy.
- This scheme could also have a significant positive impact on the EV ecosystem, with these technologies such as solar and battery storage making EV ownership an even more enticing option.
Could the UK government’s Warm Homes Plan also benefit the EV industry?
Over the past twelve months, the UK government has continued its EV sales push, including the introduction of programmes such as the £1,500 / £3,750 Electric Car Grant, and more recently, the launch of a public campaign to convince more drivers of the benefits of switching to electric.
However, one of the key barriers to EV adoption remains the cost and convenience of charging, with home charging prices remaining significantly lower than its public counterpart. The Warm Homes Plan could potentially allow millions of homes to generate and store their own clean energy via rooftop solar panels and battery storage. With this, homes will be better placed to charge EVs through ultra-low-cost or self-generated power, reducing running costs whilst easing range anxiety.
The plan’s low and zero-interest loans for solar and battery systems also play into the broader EV energy ecosystem theme. Households which upgrade to heat pumps and solar panels will also, perhaps inadvertently in some cases, be switching to smart energy management systems – the exact type of infrastructure that also makes home EV charging even more affordable.
EV adoption in the UK has already hit record highs, with nearly one in four new cars registered last year being fully electric. Coupling the existing EV incentives with this new Warm Homes Plan could help supercharge the EV transition even further.
