The energy industry is waiting in anticipation for the Government’s forthcoming Heat in Building Strategy and the vision it sets out for the future heating of homes in the UK. The strategy comes in the lead up to COP26 and at a time when the Government is setting ever more ambitious targets for decarbonising homes.
However, the far reaching and sweeping rhetoric of a future direction that is fixated on expensive heat pumps and untested hydrogen that we have heard so far, has set off a number of alarm bells not just within the industry but most importantly with homeowners themselves. It is vital that any strategy and future Government policy must take into account the views of homeowners themselves. There is no place where this is more evident that those living in rural areas and off the gas grid.
One of the most apt examples is the Government’s target to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. This target assumes that every household can afford to pay the upfront cost of a heat pump, which according to the Government’s own assessments can cost between £11-18,000. For many homeowners this is simply unaffordable. Our own research of off-grid homeowners found that 9-in-10 simply cannot afford to pay this. While the Green Homes Grant scheme would have provided some much-needed financial assistance for costs such as heat pumps, this was scrapped just six months after its launch.
The truth is that there are practical barriers that hinder decarbonisation for rural off-grid homeowners.
And while heat pumps are unaffordable for the majority of homeowners, the touted alternative of biomass comes with its own challenges as well. Achieving net zero doesn’t mean that we should create other problems and while biomass is certainly a low-carbon fuel, it emits 24 times more particular matter than bioLPG, a primary driver of air quality issues.
While it is not popular to bring up the realities and costs involved in decarbonising homes, we cannot just sweep the truth under the rug. The truth is that there are practical barriers that hinder decarbonisation for rural off-grid homeowners. These barriers need to be taken seriously as currently over 1.5 million homes are off the energy grid. Take Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) for example.
Currently, the EPCs methodology means that two identical homes, one off the gas grid and one on, will receive different EPC ratings due to the cost of the input fuel. In today’s world, that means that cheaper and higher carbon fuels can receive better EPC ratings. This is another example of where policy must take into account all homeowners and how they are impacted. Under the current direction to get to an EPC C, rural homeowners could be faced with investing more into their homes than what is practically needed.
This does not mean that we should forget about decarbonising homes all together, it just means that we need a more nuanced, flexible approach that accounts for people living in different areas with noticeably different needs. In essence, we need a heating strategy that supports a mixed technology approach. We are all aiming for the same goal in the end.
If cost is a major barrier for homeowners to switch to low-carbon options then policy and the industry must provide a range of options at different price points. BioLPG for instance is a ‘drop-in’ fuel that enables homeowners to transition to a greener fuel without having to pay for retrofitting or new energy infrastructure. BioLPG emits up to 90% less carbon emissions and carries the same low NOx, Sox, and PM2.5 as conventional LPG.
As we await the Heat in Building Strategy it is clear that a one size fits all approach to decarbonising homes is not suitable. While it is the role of policy makers to drive change and set the parameters, it is also important that they listen to the people that are going to be the most affected. The Government and the industry must listen to the concerns and challenges of homeowners and be adaptable to their needs. We must also be frank and honest with them as well and start engaging with them soon on the costs and realities that they face.
