A new campaign group, Electrify Heat, has formed to lead the switch from gas and oil boilers to electric heat pumps in the UK.
Electrify Heat’s members include leading energy suppliers OVO Energy, Octopus Energy, Good Energy, Scottish Power and E.ON plus organisations such as Energy Saving Trust. The group is also backed by the Green Finance Institute and major trade associations Energy UK, the Sustainable Energy Association, the Heat Pump Federation, the Ground Source Heat Pump Association and the Association for Decentralised Energy. MCS, the standards organisation for renewable products and installations, is also a founder member.
The campaign is the first of its kind in the UK and launches ahead of the Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy, Net Zero Strategy and COP26.
Lead spokesman for Electrify Heat, Edward Robinson, said: “Net Zero is impossible in the UK without transitioning from gas and oil boilers to electric heat pump technology. But we need to move fast. 85% of UK homes are heated by fossil fuels. Heat pump technology works in some of the coldest countries in Europe, so now we need to develop our own UK market. Electrify Heat has been formed to help the Government meet and exceed its goal of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028. Our campaign is made of the most dynamic players in UK energy policy.”
Head of policy, Juliet Phillips, said: “The current energy crunch highlights the fact that moving away from gas and towards low-carbon electricity is a no regrets option that will ensure a smooth transition to a stable green energy system. The Government has a huge opportunity in the upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy and at the Spending Review to get the policies in place to deliver its vision of affordable electrified heat in British homes before 2030. “
