Kevin Ellis, Grant UK’s Renewables Sales Manager, considers the implications of the Government’s plan to encourage the decarbonisation of heating systems and cautions that change on the horizon — and everyone in the heating sector needs to understand what this means.
Last October, the Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy placed significant emphasis on air source heat pumps to help the UK achieve its pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reach the target of Net Zero by 2050. It is well recognised that heating homes and other buildings produces a large proportion of emissions so if these greenhouse gas levels are to be reduced, our heating systems will need to change with less reliance on fossil fuels.
At over two hundred pages in length, there is a lot of material to digest. One of the headlines is the proposed phasing out of high carbon fossil fuel heating with two key dates standing out — 2024 for the end of such installations in non-domestic buildings not connected to the gas grid, and 2026 in domestic buildings not connected to the gas grid.
Air source heat pumps are one of the much-needed alternative solutions — so if you are not yet familiar with how this type of heating system works, now is the time to expand your knowledge.
Electric heating is prominently positioned in the Heat and Buildings Strategy with air source and ground source heat pumps selected as the Government’s favoured technologies, with both systems eligible for grants in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (£5000 for air source heat pumps and £6000 for ground source heat pumps). By 2028, a target has been set for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed each year, a figure around twenty times greater than current installation levels.
There is a challenge ahead to ensure installers are trained correctly and that consumers are educated in how to get the best out of their heat pump system. There is also huge opportunity for growth — and this is something merchants will be able to capitalise on.
To learn more about the implications of the Heat and Buildings Strategy as well as the changes to Parts L, F and O of the Building Regulations, we have a free on-demand course that summarises this for merchants — simply scan the QR code below to visit the Grant eLearning Academy.
