BSEE-NOV21-PG10-11.qxp_Layout 1 25/10/2021 11:49 Page 11
BOILERS & HOT WATER
While the heating system in some homes will be suitable for immediate heat pump connection without changes being required, government figures again undermine this, suggesting that these homes make up just 6% of households in the UK. This means 94% of properties will require changes to the home and/or the heating system, making the cost significantly higher than £8,900, and even closer to £14,000.
As for boilers, the Strategy mentions a boiler ban in 2035, but did not refer to any legislation behind this, so it’s not surprising that there is confusion among installers and homeowners.
Hydrogen is referred to within the strategy, which is encouraging to see that it is still on the agenda. However, it is a shame to see that a decision around hydrogen won’t be made until five years from now. With hydrogen-ready boilers already successfully trialled, they could be a strong alternative to fossil fuel boilers on the market today – yet the strategy seems to omit them.
Clean Heat Grant:
support for homeowners One piece of policy whose details were leaked to the media following the release of the Hydrogen Strategy Paper is the Clean Heat Grant. The feasibility of increasing the fund, due to open on the 1 of April 2022, has been considered to aid homeowners who opt for a heat pump with an upfront payment.
The original amount of £4,000 may well be increased to £7,000 – a very generous amount which would close the gap between the outlay of having a new boiler compared to a new heat pump.
Moreover, the total budget allotted to the fund has increased from £100m to £400m. While a sizable increase, this budget would only cover around 60,000 properties if £7,000 is the final amount that is being offered to homeowners.
BSEE
• The Hydrogen Strategy sets out the UK’s
approach to developing a thriving low carbon hydrogen sector in the UK to its ambition for 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030.
• The Heat in Buildings Strategy is one of the decarbonisation
strategies the UK using to achieve Net Zero by 2050. This Strategy was released last month and aims to change the way homes use heating.
Indeed, the payment of £7,000 could still mean that the homeowner could still be short by of the required amount to fit a heat pump should significant changes be required.
While problems lie ahead, we hope the Clean Heat Grant sees some success.
New Building Regulations:
pushing decarbonisation Legislation we are confident about are the interim changes to Part L of the Building
Regulations.These are due for implementation in May 2022 in the UK and will require a 31% reduction in CO2 for new homes built, when compared to homes built under 2013 regulations.
It is still possible to include a gas-fired boiler in these situations.
Indeed, most housebuilders of scale will continue to fit gas boilers until the regulations change again in 2025, when a 75% - 80% reduction in CO2 emissions will be required. Such a goal will not be possible for a gas-fired boiler until hydrogen becomes available, and thus attention must turn to low carbon options such as heat pumps for new build properties. In conclusion, there is much domestic policy yet to come for the rest of 2021 and into 2022 which will illuminate government plans for decarbonisation of home heating. We continue to await the release of this information and look ahead to Net Zero 2050 with relative confidence.
• The Government has announced that the Clean Heat Grant will replace the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme in 2022.
• Part L of the Building Regulations stems from the Government's Energy White Paper
commitment to raising energy performance of buildings by limiting heat losses and excessive solar gains and ensuring that energy-efficient fixed building services are installed
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