NEWS UPDATE HEAT NETWORKS In Brief


● Responding to the growing number of businesses committed to measuring and reducing the whole life carbon impact of their operations, DAIKIN has brought together a suite of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its climate control solutions, including commercial heat pumps and fan coil units.


● Green Point UK, BITZER UK’s compressor remanufacturing and specialist service arm, has launched a new commissioning and health check service for refrigeration contractors, designed to ensure optimal performance and longevity of Bitzer compressors and condensing units.


● Contracting group WILLMOTT DIXON has secured a place on the new NHS Shared Business Services Decarbonisation of Estates Framework. Expected to be worth £500m, the framework will run for four years and is designed to improve the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of NHS buildings and estates.


Appointments


● Danfoss has announced that Kristian Strand has been named president of Danfoss Climate Solutions. He succeeds Jürgen Fischer, who has decided to retire after 16 years with the business, and will take over at the beginning of April this year.


● Clivet Group UK has invested in a number of new appointments to support its plans for further growth in the UK. These include Ross Loveridge as area sales manager for the South East, and Jacson Kavumkal and Dennis Buor-Karikari as pre-sales engineers.


● Schneider Electric has announced the appointment of Nirupa Chander as senior vice president, secure power & data centres, international operations. Chander will lead a division of more than 700 professionals, supporting customers in their digital transformation journeys and achieving their sustainability goals.


● Energy software provider POWWR has promoted Andy Taylor to head of UK sales. The new role will see Taylor, who has over 20 years experience in the energy market, heading up a team of sales executives in the UK and report directly to the company’s chief commercial officer Paul Hodnett.


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Heat networks urged as key to UK’s low-carbon heating future


The Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) is calling for increased investment in heat networks after the government’s evaluation of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) revealed a significant increase in heat pump installations. While the ADE acknowledges the progress made in decarbonising UK homes through heat pumps, it stresses the importance of a balanced approach that includes robust support for heat networks, particularly in urban areas. The evaluation underscores the


effectiveness of heat pumps in replacing old, inefficient boilers – reporting that 79% of customers are satisfied with their new systems. These installations have predominantly occurred in larger,


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advantages of low-carbon heat. Policy officer at the ADE, Emily


Baer, says: “Heat pumps have ignited our clean energy revolution, but to truly transform the UK’s heating landscape, we must equally invest in heat networks. By bolstering support for heat networks, we can drive innovation, create local jobs, and ensure urban areas have access to sustainable heating. This approach will provide the lowest cost pathway to heat decarbonisation” Heat networks not only offer


detached properties, leaving a gap in urban centres where heat networks could deliver greater benefits. The ADE believes that robust support for heat networks, on par with that for heat pumps, is critical to ensuring every community enjoys the


secure and affordable heating but also stimulate local economies. In fact, heat networks have already been leveraged to attract more than £3 of private investment for every £1 of public money, with the sector channelling £2 billion into UK infrastructure. By 2050 the trade association claims up to £100 billion could be invested in UK heat networks, driving local jobs that cannot be offshored.


EU report calls for further energy efficiency


The 2025 edition of the EU’s Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report calls for greater investment in energy efficiency. It highlights Europe’s position as a global leader in energy efficiency innovation, reporting that 24% of patents in energy efficiency are now generated by EU companies. It also stresses that these innovations allow other companies to increase their energy efficiency. Published simultaneously is the European Commission’s much-awaited Competitiveness Compass, which provides the key guide regarding its work to boost European competitiveness over the next five years. The Competitiveness Compass is built on three


pillars: closing the innovation gap, a joint roadmap for decarbonisation and competitiveness, and reducing dependencies and increasing security. While it places a strong focus on regulatory simplification, it also reiterates a commitment to reaching net-zero by 2050, including via an EU 2040 climate target of 90% emissions reduction from 1990 levels.


The Compass acknowledges the structural nature of high energy prices resulting predominantly from reliance on foreign fossil fuel imports. The Commission is calling for an increased production of clean energy in


Europe, greater electrification, and incentivising industrial customers to provide demand flexibility services. Importantly, the communication recognises the role of


energy efficiency technologies in supporting European competitiveness, reiterating the point by stressing that “energy-efficient technologies are to a large extent made in Europe, thus providing a competitive edge for the EU economy.” As well as updating further both the Energy


Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), the EU is also tightening up existing energy standards for products. One key area of interest for UK pump manufacturers is the imminent changes on hydraulic pumps for the water industry, a £1bn market. In 2023, member companies of the British Pump Manufacturers Association participated in a government-funded study examining whether alternative requirements might be preferred for the UK market. Despite being promised swift sight of the recommendations, companies have yet to be informed as to when a decision will be taken to adopt similar revised design standards to the rest of Europe, or whether different requirements will become mandatory in the UK.


Landlords face new EPC upgrade requirements


Private landlords in England will be required to upgrade their properties to a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C by 2030, an increase from the current minimum of E. The decision is part of the government’s Plan for Change, which aims to lift up to half a million households out of fuel poverty. As part of the new measures,


landlords will need to implement energy-saving upgrades, such as loft and cavity wall insulation and double glazing, to enhance the comfort and affordability of their properties.


Currently, 48% of private rented homes already meet or exceed the EPC C standard, and the government aims to extend these standards to all rental properties, estimating that these changes could save tenants an average of £240 annually on energy bills. The government has also announced plans to revise its fuel poverty strategy, focusing on improving home energy performance and assisting low-income households with energy costs. This follows planned reforms to empower Ofgem, the energy regulator, to become a


consumer champion, upgrading up to 300,000 homes through the Warm Homes Plan this financial year, and driving a new era of clean energy through the Clean Power Action Plan.


EIBI | FEBRUARY 2025


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