Heat networks
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Policy framework vital to accelerate heat pump progress
H
eat pumps, whether air, ground, or water source, are the cheapest long-term solution to decarbonise the UK and meet government
set Net Zero goals by 2050. However, for the UK to Build Back Greener, greater investment is needed that matches the ambitious programmes seen by fellow European nations. Around 19 million heat pumps need to be installed by 2050, according to official government advisors on the Committee for Climate Change, to reach these targets and yet the UK is lagging on rollout. The European Heat Pump Association reports that
over 17 million heat pumps have been installed across the EU and wants to double output by 2026, and that the European market grew by 34% last year alone. To do this, the EHPA recommends an acceleration mechanism that foregrounds the need for greater government regulation and support for initiatives to increase long-term trust in the heat pump sector. The Regulatory Assistance Programme (RAP) has identified government levies and regulation as well as financial support as the three pillars for a sustainable heat market. Extensive changes will be needed to deliver Net
Zero emissions in the UK by 2050, and buildings will need to be far more energy efficient. One important focus which can easily be overlooked is the expansion of district heat networks and the use of heat pumps within these to accelerate progress. The Climate Change Committee recommended that a major ramp up in supply chains for heat networks will be needed to deliver sufficient carbon reductions, with 100% of new buildings needing to be zero carbon by 2025 at the latest – and connectivity to low carbon heat networks using centralised heat pumps is a great way to speed up this process. District heating is a centralised source that distributes heat to that multiple domestic and commercial premises at a time to low carbon sources of heating and hot water. Heat networks thus have the potential to produce a fast-tracked highly efficient heat pump rollout that produces communal heating solutions at smaller costs for the consumer. Heat networks have also been instrumental at utilising large pockets of waste heat and using this sustainably. Many, such as the Scottish Borders College heat network, utilise sewers and rivers to extract excess heat for use in buildings across the country. The carbon savings from heat pump focused heat networks are particularly evident, with the
22 February 2023
Government suggesting that these networks have the capability to fund the delivery of an estimated 10.3Mt of total carbon savings by 2050 – the equivalent of taking 4.5 million cars in England off the road for a year. However, in this same government report, it was
found that if these large savings are to materialise, there would need to be significant financial support for renewable heat to achieve greater cost parity, as heat pumps currently provide heat at significantly higher costs than gas-based district heating schemes. Schemes such as the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) are thus vital to expand the use of these networks and create more realistic opportunities for widescale decarbonisation. The first recipients of this funding have recently been announced, enabling Peterborough and Hull City Council to deliver carbon savings at scale, with GHNF funding expected to rapidly expedite emission reductions at a rate equivalent to taking 5.6 million cars of the road for a year. Kensington and Chelsea’s utilisation of existing heat network funds provide another example of the importance of government incentives to scale up
The expansion of district heat networks and the use of heat pumps within these will be crucial if we are to accelerate progress in the drive to Net Zero according to Low Carbon Partner at Gemserv and HPA policy advisor and spokesperson Dave Sowden
deployment of low carbon technology, provide heating from large air source heat pumps to 826 existing homes in North Kensington and several buildings and businesses. Other examples of these successful heat networks include Bristol City Council’s generation of low carbon energy for 330 homes in Bedminster using heat pump technology, and the use of heat pumps for other developments including student housing and local businesses.
It is worth noting that increasing competition within the heat pump installer market by investing in training will further drive productivity growth, lower installation times, and ultimately lower the cost of heat pumps to consumers, and so faster heat pump deployment through district heating has benefits for everyone.
Studies on the visibly high upfront costs of heat pump systems often fail to incorporate the savings possible with greater demand for heat pumps through government regulation and incentives and an installer base trained in sizing and flow-temperature changes. As COP27 brought a renewed focus on renewable heating and cooling – a sector accounting for 40% of energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions globally – the Government must place more focus on making heat pumps a more attractive option for consumers and businesses, which will mean first tackling their affordability and scaling up deployment. Heat pumps will be needed now more than ever when the UK Government wishes to reduce energy demand by 15% by 2030 (The Heat Pump Association’s own modelling suggests following the Climate Change Committee’s lowest cost pathway will deliver 25% of this demand reduction in home heating alone), and funding must be increased to fast-track the 19 million heat pumps needed and invest in heat networks with a more ambitious reach. Heat networks like these can rapidly decarbonise parts of the country at a time and avoid the need for individual boilers or electric heaters within homes, therefore saving installation time and possibly costs. Heat pumps have been proven to be a valuable addition to heat networks in other countries and can drastically help the UK to catch-up to European heat pump usage and rollout. Expanding government focus on heat networks should therefore be added to the suit of priority policies in the years to come if we are going to meet net zero targets in a manner that keeps the costs of doing so to a minimum.
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