Decarbonising Heat: A challenge for manufacturers alone?

For many working in the UK heating industry, Net Zero represents true north. At Worcester Bosch, a leading manufacturer of heating appliances; from boilers to heat pumps and hybrid systems, this is very much the case.

Decarbonising the product portfolio, and subsequently the way homes are heated, is the company’s core purpose. It serves as the ultimate motivator for staff and is the driving force behind product strategy and innovation. However, the path to Net Zero is complex, particularly when it comes to heating homes. Barriers such as poor housing stock, ageing energy infrastructure, an inexperienced skills base for renewables, the economic landscape, energy costs, lack of demand and the much-loved British climate, all conspire to present a uniquely difficult challenge that appliance manufacturers alone cannot answer.

It is, therefore, frustrating that the issue is increasingly used for political point scoring and headline chasing, whilst there remains a lack of policy that effectively addresses these broader barriers to decarbonising heat.

Businesses, like Worcester Bosch, rely on ‘joined-up’ thinking from legislators when it comes to Net Zero. But as 2024 looms, the need for establishing holistic and pragmatic policy that supports mass decarbonisation of heat, could not be greater or more urgent.