BSEE-MAR22-PG08_Layout 1 22/02/2022 10:03 Page 8


BSEE


INDUSTRY COMMENT


Facing the inevitable energy price crisis


Pete Mills, commercial technical operations manager at Bosch Commercial & Industrial,


discusses the path ahead and what will change as we move towards the Spring price cap


W


e are entering a year where the spectre of higher energy prices is


dominating the


debate, with huge concern about what the impacts of this will be on people’s lives as well as the pressure this could add to prices generally as well as rising inflation. Another tough time ahead looks to be coming. What this will mean for progress in decarbonisation of our heat demands in the UK is unclear.


Tackling the crisis


At the end of 2021 we exited the year with some key policy document releases from UK Government on how we should approach the decarbonisation of heat. The Heat in


Buildings Strategy and Hydrogen Strategy were two significant policy statements, as well as the wider Net Zero Strategy. Broadly this has left open the possibility for all of the three main routes to


decarbonisation of heat, heat pumps, heat networks and decarbonised gas (hydrogen), with some further decisions to follow. Unfortunately, the battle lines seem to have been drawn up between the various lobbying parties and advocates over which technology route should be followed. There are very strongly held views on some sides, using whatever ammunition they have to knock their opponents. The disappointing aspect of this battle is the muddying of waters for homeowners and building operators who will have to try and make an informed decision about how and when they should tackle their own emissions from heat.


As a long-time advocate of the belief that we will need every technology available to us to tackle this monumental task of decarbonising heat in buildings, I find this very sad and at odds with the appeals we heard in 2021 from key environmentalists to speed up the rate of change. All this is adding to the confusion that many homeowners and building operators already feel about this topic, leading to paralysis and inaction. It is also affecting the


installer/contractor community who are often the people that homeowners and building operators turn to first for advice. They have always been a vital link in the decision-making process, and this will only increase as the pressure for action ramps up.


I experienced this first-hand at the end of last year. A sales colleague of mine had put his back out and was unable to make the commitment to meet up with an installer on site to talk about a project. Since it was only a few miles away from where I live, I agreed to fill in. When I arrived and met up with the installer he didn’t want to talk about the project, but instead asked me the following. “What is happening with hydrogen and what should I tell my customers when they ask about heat pumps for a property that is not going to be technically feasible?”. We spent the next half hour or so discussing the practicalities of moving to low carbon heat sources and what his customers needed to know. It was very clear that the confusion and misinformation that exists had just brought this particular installer to a hard stop.


We should all be worried about this state of affairs, as it will seriously hamper our progress to decarbonise heat unless we can get a clear message to cut through the fog.


Right technology, right place


In the UK we have such a variety of legacy buildings of all types of construction and age. This will inevitably pose different challenges for how we approach the switch to low carbon heating, with 80% of the buildings we will have in 2050 already built. Couple this with differences in whether buildings are on the gas grid or off grid, as well as the density of buildings


geographically within a location and it is not hard to see that some buildings will be better suited to one option or another.


Surely then, following a mono- technology route could never be a possibility. We must ensure consumer choice is maintained if this transition is to be seen as fair. Forcing a particular solution on any one of the sectors outlined above risks slowing take up and losing consumer buy in. It has to be the right technology in the right place.


Consumers and installers need clarity in what options will be available to them and by when, to make good well-informed decisions. With energy costs due to increase whatever route is taken, it is more important than ever that low carbon solutions deliver best value for money for that particular consumer and their building. Many of the changes to low carbon heat will need proactive planning and forward thinking before they can be realised.


It is vital now that the lobbying powers on either side of the debate realise that battling to favour one or other technology is damaging the progress toward this transformation. We must remain fixed on the reason why we are doing this and how important it is to keep on track.


8 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MARCH 2022


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