What are the barriers to increasing uptake of low carbon heating technologies?
We believe that there are seven main barriers to the scaling up of low carbon heating technologies in the UK:
- Regulatory backing
- A long-term outlook
- Energy levies
- Skills availability
- Financial support
- Grid flexibility and supply
- Public awareness and support
The transition from prolific use of high carbon fossil fuels to low carbon heating presents the industry with many challenges. The relatively short space of time in which environmental targets need to be achieved means that the electrification of heating must be accomplished at great speed.
What is the significance of regulatory backing for low carbon technology specification?
The Future Homes Standard consultation is the first clear signal from the government that the UK’s low carbon ambitions will be introduced in law. The recent government response provides much needed clarification for the industry. A consistent policy message would help to reinforce the impact of the changing regulations and maintain market confidence. With strong support for all low carbon solutions in the final publications of updated Part L and Part F, the industry can start preparing for the changes ahead.
Tightening regulations may pose challenges for construction, especially for retrofit. However, with enough time and clear legislation supporting long-term strategy, there is no doubt the industry will be able to respond positively.
How can a clear long-term outlook support the industry’s transition to net-zero?
Addressing three pivotal areas of our plans for transition to net-zero could increase confidence in low carbon technologies and invigorate the market:
- Clear trajectory of interim targets to help us reach 2050 net-zero
- Energy infrastructure plan to support our future electrical grid
- Market focused plans on how interim targets can be achieved
Providing clarity in all three areas would help the industry to prepare for the upcoming changes in regulations that will propagate to specification. As a result, the industry should see a smoother, more efficient, and less costly transition to net-zero buildings.
How can energy levies support the electrification of heat?
Addressing the current high cost of electricity could increase demand for innovative low carbon hybrid technology and ambient networks. The Cost of Energy review (2017) showed four years ago, that energy policy, regulation and market design were a barrier to the specification of low carbon solutions.
Lower electricity costs together with the high energy efficiency of low carbon solutions and increased thermal efficiency of homes, could help tackle the challenges of fuel poverty in social housing. Lower energy bills could be expected in new developments built to electrically supportive regulations. This would increase demand for low carbon solutions and for properties across sectors and portfolios that incorporate them.
Is an installation skills shortage slowing down our efforts to decarbonise heat in homes?
Some low carbon technologies, including direct panel heaters, lend themselves to easy installation. There is, however, a skills shortage in the area of heat pump installation. Nationwide courses for all levels from installation to systems design, could help focus the skill sets on low carbon solutions and aid the transition to a low carbon world.
On the other hand, innovative heat pump technology can be simpler to install than traditional heat pump technology. This could help to raise workforce confidence when dealing with heat pumps. Ambient communal loops such as the Zeroth Energy System or fully electric hot water heat pump systems utilising the Edel Hot Water Heat Pump being examples.
Manufacturers of low carbon technologies can help narrow the skills gap. Dimplex can play a significant role in bringing about this change. We can guide and advise on system design, including buffer vessels, cylinders, and hydraulic schematic advice for single and cascaded units. We offer professional training and support to develop familiarisation for specifying and working with low carbon solutions.
Do we need to consider the different financial support needed for new developments and retrofit?
Cost is an obvious barrier to the wider uptake of low carbon technology. This needs to be addressed for new build and retrofit electrification separately. Specific capital and operational barriers for various tenure types should be carefully considered. An example of a difficult area are properties with gas boilers that have very long replacement cycles. Here, the owners need to be incentivised to switch to low carbon technology.
An example of financial support could be tax and cost reductions applied to the sale and purchase of a home with an improved carbon footprint. Encouraging consumer demand for low carbon technologies in all types of tenures could lead to higher demand for low carbon solutions in existing homes. This would give the industry the support it needs to turn to larger scale retrofit.
Can increased grid flexibility support the electrification of heat?
For the industry to start successfully transitioning to electrification and decarbonisation of heat, a stable and flexible electrical grid is needed. As opposed to purely increasing peak capacity, adding the flexibility of total load would help create a more stable grid. For this strategy to work a wider uptake of technologies that are complementary to low carbon solutions would be needed. Existing technology, such as flexible storage or high heat retention storage heating could help to create the energy reserve needed to deal with the extra energy demand experienced by moving to electrical systems like heat pumps. Electric hybrid systems and ambient networks are another way to optimise the total connected load, to make the best possible use of the total availability of electricity on the network each day.
What part does public awareness play in the transition to net-zero?
Better public understanding could help increase demand for properties with low carbon systems. For example, a government led campaign to dispel any misconceptions about low carbon technology and bring into focus the role every end user plays in achieving the 2050 net-zero target.
The government sponsored Simple Energy Advice website has now been launched and offers impartial advice on energy efficiency. A wider campaign offering advice on low carbon technology, including smart controls, energy storage, heat pumps and direct-acting panel heaters, would help to encourage public interest. This type of campaign could increase the demand for all low carbon technologies, not just heat pumps. By associating industry bodies, the platform could be used to collect valuable feedback that could help drive the decarbonisation of heat throughout the industry.
To discuss traditional heat pump solutions or to see how the Zeroth Energy System or Edel Hot Water Heat Pump can benefit your project, contact our team of HVAC specialists.