Following the release of the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) figures, director of the Heating & Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC), Roger Webb, said: "I'm optimistic that numbers will increase once we start moving towards the autumn and the heating season.

"It is very early days and I would suggest that the low numbers of new installations reported is due to the time of year. People are thinking of summer holidays not how they will heat their homes.