Green heating measures for businesses could get more financial backing from the Government after a policy tweak announced today.

The Renewable Heat Incentive is a 20-year subsidy and its non-domestic scheme has been open to the commercial, industrial and public sectors and community generators of renewable heat since November 2011.

New plans would increase the cash it offers for renewable Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants, large biomass boilers, deep geothermal, ground source heat pumps, solar thermal and biogas combustion projects bigger than 200 kilowatt thermal (kWth).

Energy Minister Greg Barker also wants to expand it to air-water heat pumps which were previously not included as well as commercial and industrial energy from waste.

In a written statement to parliament, he said: “We expect that these tariffs will drive significant deployment so that the industry can grow and invest with confidence.”

Chief Executive of industry body Micropower Council, Dave Sowden said: “The inclusion of air to water heat pumps in the non-domestic scheme is particularly welcome and something we have campaigned for over the past two years and puts this technology on a fair footing with other renewable technologies.”