Energy strategy given cautious welcome by heat pump industry

[ON 19 OCTOBER the government launched its Heat and Buildings Strategy, alongside its Net Zero Strategy.

The strategy sets out the government’s plan to significantly cut carbon emissions from the UK’s 30 million homes and workplaces in a simple, low-cost and green way while ensuring it remains affordable and fair for households across the country.

Launching the strategy, Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “There is a global race to develop new green technology, kick-start new industries and attract private investment. The countries that capture the benefits of this global green industrial revolution will enjoy unrivalled growth and prosperity for decades to come – and it’s our job to ensure the UK is fighting fit.”

The heat pump industry gave the strategy a mixed reception, but expressed a broad welcome.

Phil Hurley, chair of the Heat Pump Association, wrote in a blog: “This mixed response is predictable when it comes to the publication of proposals, largely because it depends on what they’re being measured against. Those taking a relative outlook and considering what came before the strategy will of course perceive it as significant progress, whereas those looking at the bigger picture – the ‘absolute’ – will question whether it is enough to meet net zero, and determine that it is not. “Providing a clear sign that heat pumps are the current heating system of choice for decarbonisation, the government has indicated that the 600,000 target of deployment by 2028 per year is a minimum, regardless of any future decisions to be made on hydrogen. “It is clearer than ever that heat pumps are here to stay, with the technology being a key focus of the strategy and many of the stories that flooded the national news. This will not only provide households across the country with more knowledge of the technology that could soon be heating their homes but also instil certainty in the industry that the fossil fuel era is indeed coming to an end. Regulation is vital for instilling this confidence, and the commitment to phase out fossil fuel systems in off grid homes, where heat pumps are more cost-effective, by 2026 will be a big boost to the market.”

The Ground Sourse Heat Pump Association also welcomed the recognition by government that heat pumps are the key technology to be adopted to reduce carbon emissions from heating homes and buildings. However, it believes that the Heat and Buildings Strategy risks repeating the mistakes of the past by offering limited financial help and, although the policy moves are in the right direction, they seem to be too little, too late.

In a release, the association said: “The GSHPA would have preferred to see a much greater sense of urgency because bold action is needed. Currently less than 2% of UK homes have any form of low carbon heating and still over 1,600,000 gas boilers are being installed each year in the UK.”

The GSHPA reminded us that the share of renewable heat in the UK is almost the lowest of any country in Europe and urged people to sign the Heat Pump Petition, which can be found on its website at www.gshp.org.uk. q