PHAM NOV21:Layout 1 04/11/2021 16:16 Page 1
NOVEMBER 2021 | VOLUME 59 | ISSUE 9
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Will the Heat and Buildings ŶũÖŶāėƘ ĿÖĴā Ö ùĢƦāũāłóā̎ Last month saw the publication of the government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy which sets out plans on how the UK will cut carbon emissions by changing the way we heat and power our homes, workplaces and public buildings – but how likely is it to achieve its goals? The much heralded Heat and Buildings Strategy sets out the government’s plans to incentivise investment in low carbon heating systems, with the aim of significantly reducing carbon emissions from the UK’s ˜˙ million homes and workplaces and keeping the country on track to meet its net zero target by ˛˙˞˙. The strategy includes the introduction of new grants of £˞˙˙˙ – available from April next year for homeowners in England and Wales – as part of a ‘Boiler Upgrade Scheme’ to support the installation of low carbon heating systems in homes. The grants will be issued from a £˝˞˙ million pot to encourage the take-up of heat pumps, covering the installation of ˢ˙̇˙˙˙ systems over three years. It also confirms the government’s intention to outlaw the installation of traditional gas boilers in all UK homes by ˛˙˜˞, but stops short of committing to any legislation.
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as well as making heat pumps as affordable as boilers, so all consumers can soon access and enjoy the benefits of affordable, reliable low carbon heating that stands the test of time. “It is perfectly well timed to take advantage of the Heat Pump Association’s recently launched training course, with the industry now ready to retrain the UK’s army of installers, with the capacity to train up to ˝˙̇˙˙˙ per year, to ensure consumers can find a suitably trained and skilled heat pump installer when they need one.”
Lost opportunity A decision on the widespread use of hydrogen gas in heating systems has been delayed until ˛˙˛˟, but it is hoped that a new £˟˙ million Heat Pump Ready innovation programme will help to grow the electric heat pump market and expand British manufacturing. The scheme will provide funding to drive technological innovation, which is hoped will make systems smaller, easier to install, and cheaper to run over the coming years.
Reducing costs A key part of the strategy is to narrow the relative costs of installing a heat pump system compared to a fossil fuel boiler, providing consumers with more choice when it comes to replacing their ageing heating systems. “As the technology improves and costs plummet over the next decade, we expect low carbon heating systems will become the obvious, affordable choice for consumers,” said Business
and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng when announcing the government’s plans. “Through our new grant scheme, we will ensure people are able to choose a more efficient alternative in the meantime. UK manufacturers are already making electric heat pumps more attractive to consumers, and more affordable, and the government wants to incentivise consumers to make the switch as quickly as possible.” The government’s funding pledges have been broadly welcomed by the heat pump industry, who see the grants as an opportunity to raise public awareness and encourage installers to undertake more training in low carbon technologies. “The announcement will give industry and installers a huge confidence boost,” says Phil Hurley, chair of the Heat Pump Association. “Now is the time to scale-up and retrain in preparation for the mass rollout of heat pumps,
However, while many in the industry have acknowledged that the strategy includes a number of positive announcements, it has also been widely criticised for not doing more to address the importance of improving the energy performance of existing housing stock through a fabricfirst approach. “Despite the positive headlines on heat pumps, the government has failed to deliver a coherent insulation strategy, which would make heat pumps even more attractive to consumers,” says Richard Beresford, chief executive of the National Federation of Builders. “The government appears to be only listening to one half of the story,” adds Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders. “If there is no detail in the strategy on how we can address the megatonnes of carbon lost through the leaky walls and roofs of our homes, it will have failed and the benefits of installing heat pumps risk being lost.” āā ťÖėā ˚˟ ĕŋũ Ŀŋũā óŋĿĿāłŶ̍
Inside this issue News Review Calling green heating heroes See page ˡ
Product News A round-up of the latest launches See page ˝ˠ
COMPETITION Win bathroom wall panelling! See page ˝ˢ
04/11/2021 16:03
