Oil heated households in Wiltshire could soon face additional costs to install green heating systems if government plans go ahead.

In October last year proposed that from 2026, households on oil heating will not be able to install a new fossil fuel oil boiler once their existing one breaks down and needs to be replaced in a bid to get people to sign up for greener energy solutions.

Currently, around 36,000 households in Wiltshire are reliant on oil heating.

OFTEC, the trade association for liquid fuel heating, is concerned these oil heated homes are being unfairly treated under the plans.

But according to Future Ready Fuel, because rural properties tend to be older and poorly insulated, households already often face additional costs and disruption to improve their energy efficiency for the technology to work effectively.

Malcolm Farrow, from OFTEC, is urging the government to consider alternative solutions.

Wiltshire Times: Malcolm Farrow from OFTECMalcolm Farrow from OFTEC

He said: “Whilst it’s clear all homes will need to adopt greener heating systems, the current approach by the government is creating a perfect storm.

"The reality is the vast majority of rural homes, including those on oil heating, are older and poorly insulated.

"This means heat pumps are less effective unless expensive and disruptive energy efficiency improvements are made.