House of Commons Science and Technology Committee publishes report

The Science and Technology Committee has highlighted the lack of Government policies in place to deliver the net zero target by 2050 and recommends 10 steps the Government should take to meet this legally binding target.

The Committee welcomes the Government’s decision to strengthen its long-term emissions reduction target, to effectively eliminate all emissions by 2050. However, the Committee on Climate Change has warned that the UK is not even on course to meet its existing legally binding targets for 2023 to 2032. The Committee’s Report on clean growth highlights that urgent Government action is needed to reverse the current policy trend of cut backs and slow progress.

Ten key areas of shortfall

The Committee identifies ten key areas in which Government policy to support the implementation of low-carbon technology has been delayed, cut back or undermined carbon reductions:

1. the ‘plug-in grant’ for low-emissions cars was reduced for the lowest-emissions cars in October 2018, and cut completely for other low-emissions cars;
2. fuel duty has been frozen for nine years in a row, while bus and train fares have been allowed to increase every year over the same period;
3. the ‘feed-in tariff’ for low-carbon power generation was closed;
4. the Energy Companies Obligation scheme was restricted to vulnerable households in November 2018, despite the Government conceding that this would result in lower carbon emissions reductions being achieved;
5. the Government launched a consultation on how to build a market for those able to pay for their own domestic energy efficiency improvements in 2017, but has still not announced what new policy framework will emerge from the consultation responses;
6. following the cancellation of the ‘zero-carbon homes’ policy in 2015, the Government said that it would consult on changes to building regulations in 2019 to improve energy efficiency but no consultation has been launched;
7. changes to business rates in 2017 have seen business rates on solar panels increase between three- and eight-fold, equating to thousands of pounds in additional costs each year for schools, SMEs and hospitals;
8. onshore wind and large-scale solar power have been excluded from the financial support mechanism available to other renewable power technologies since 2017, and planning permission for onshore wind farms has also been made more difficult to obtain since 2015;
9. the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme is due to close in 2021 but no replacement scheme has yet been announced; and
10. the Government’s new White Paper on ‘The future of the energy market’ was due to be published in ‘early’ 2019, but has not yet been published.

Recommendations for change

Against this backdrop of policy delays and reversals, the Committee makes a series of recommendations across different sectors, including transport, heating, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas removal to get the UK ready for net-zero by 2050. Ten priorities include:

11. Strategy for decarbonising heat: The Government must urgently develop a clearer strategy for decarbonising heat. This will require large-scale trials of different heating technologies, such as heat pumps and hydrogen gas heating, operating in homes and cities to build the evidence base required for long-term decisions.
12. Incentive scheme for energy efficiency home improvements: Previous initiatives to encourage the installation of energy efficiency improvements in the ‘able-to-pay’ market have failed because they have focused too narrowly on providing financial support for specific interventions. In order to incentivise homeowners to install energy efficiency improvements, the Government should consider adjusting Stamp Duty so that it varies according to the energy performance of the home as well as the price paid for it. Homebuyers should then be able to make energy efficiency improvements within a defined time after purchasing the property, and claim back corresponding reductions in the Stamp Duty paid retrospectively. The Government should additionally establish a ‘Help to Improve’ scheme by July 2020 that offers matched funding and interest-free loans to homeowners, to cover the costs of making energy efficiency improvements.
13. Plan for reducing vehicle emissions: The Government must bring forward the date of its proposed ban on the sales of new ‘conventional’ cars and vans to 2035 at the latest, and ensure that it covers hybrids too. In the near-term, the Government must reconsider the fiscal incentives for consumers to purchase both new and used vehicle models with lower emissions. The Government should also work with public services and owners of public land, such as schools and hospitals, to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicle chargepoints, and introduce measures to ensure that chargepoints are interoperable, compatible with a smart energy system, reliable, and provide real-time information on their current functionality. Although ultra-low emissions vehicles generate very little emissions during use, their manufacture generates substantial emissions. In the long-term, widespread personal vehicle ownership therefore does not appear to be compatible with significant decarbonisation. The Government should not aim
    to achieve emissions reductions simply by replacing existing vehicles with lower-emissions versions.
14. Support for onshore wind and solar power: The Government must ensure that there is strong policy support for new onshore wind power and large-scale solar power projects, where there is local support and projected cost-savings for consumers over the long-term. Planning consent and technological lifetimes mean that most existing onshore wind farms were expected to last 25 years before needing to be decommissioned or ‘re-powered’ with upgraded equipment. The Government should ensure that national planning policy facilitates the re-powering of existing sites, with a clear planning permission framework for re-powering existing onshore wind farms in place by the end of 2020.
15. Review of the Smart Export Guarantee: The Government must review the functioning of the Smart Export Guarantee the planned successor to the feed-in tariff scheme by the end of 2020, and should be ready to include a minimum price floor if there is evidence of a lack of market competitivity for example, if uptake of tariffs is not significantly greater than the current number of tariffs or if the tariffs offered are significantly lower than wholesale electricity prices.
16. Sustain nuclear power without growing the industry: The Government must make a decision on the future finance framework for new nuclear power by the end of 2019. Subject to value for money, the Government should seek to support new nuclear power generation so as to sustain, but not grow, the UK’s nuclear power industry. It must anticipate any gap in future generation capacity such a policy would cause, and support sufficient renewable power alternatives to fill the gap.
17. Removal of greenhouse gases: The Government should launch a consultation to inform the development of a future framework for managing and incentivising greenhouse gas removal on the scale required for net-zero emissions, and to provide greater certainty to encourage private investment in the development of these technologies. In line with this strategy, the Government should be ready to increase funding for research, development and demonstration of greenhouse gas removal technologies.
18. Clear action on carbon capture, usage and storage: The Government must provide greater clarity on the details of its carbon capture, usage and storage action plan, setting out:
    a. what it considers to be deployment at scale;
    b. what constitutes cost-effectiveness or sufficient cost-reduction;
    c. how it expects to share costs with industry; and
    d. what the major milestones for the plan are, as well as when they are expected to be achieved.
    The Government should learn from previous carbon capture and storage projects and ensure that a sufficient number of projects, of sufficient scale, are undertaken to optimise the chance of successful deployment, and that the knowledge gained from publicly-funded work is publicly accessible.
19. Clean growth regulation of the energy market: The Government should consider the case for amending Ofgem’s principal objective so that it explicitly
    includes ensuring that regulations align with the emissions reduction targets set out in the Climate Change Act 2008.
20. Support for local authorities: The Government should support local authorities and members of the public in contributing to the UK’s net zero target. For local authorities, this should include access to low-cost, long-term finance as well as a statutory duty to develop emission reduction plans in line with the national targ ets set by the Climate Change Act 2008. For members of the public, the Government should publish an easily accessible central guide explaining what measures households can take to support decarbonisation and re-introduce a bespoke telephone and visiting advice service.
    Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP, Chair of the Science and Technology Committee, said:
    ‘Parliament has declared a climate emergency. The worrying effects of climate change, such as heatwaves, wildfires and flooding are already occurring at an alarming rate and will have a huge impact on future generations. Throughout our inquiry, it was worrying to hear that although the Government may be ambitious when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, it is not putting the policies in place which are needed to achieve those targets. We need to see the Government put its words into actions.’ The Government’s own projections suggest that the UK is not currently on track to meet its current emission targets, let alone net zero by 2050. The rate of deployment of several key low-carbon technologies is significantly lower than what is required to meet the Government’s ambitions, and various stakeholders expressed concern at the current and projected rate of progress of the UK’s decarbonisation.
    We heard of cut backs in various programmes and slow progress, which are incompatible with the UK’s two upcoming, legally binding, carbon budgets this is unacceptable. If Governments across the world fail to act, it will have dire consequences for the environment and generations to come.
    The scale of the challenge cannot be underestimated. This Report clearly highlights ten key areas of concern and we hope the Government listens to our realistic, achievable recommendations on how to make the UK a world leader in cutting carbon emissions once again.

Heat Pumps and Net-Zero: The Facts

HPA Vice Chairman and NIBE managing director Phil Hurley tackles the decarbonisation debate head on by presenting the case for heat pumps and highlighting the importance of installers in engaging with homeowners about low-carbon heating alternatives.

It’s hard to ignore the growing public awareness and demand for action against climate change.

Almost every day there is a headline or political debate about what needs to be done to reduce the impact on the planet.

Most significantly, on the 11th June the UK Government introduced a Bill to Parliament that commits the UK to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. This was in response to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) report Net Zero: The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming.

Chief executive of the CCC, Chris Stark believes that heat decarbonisation will be the biggest challenge with our share of low carbon heating requiring an increase from today’s 4.5% to 80% by 2050.

The report was widely welcomed by the industry despite some push back from fossil fuel incumbents, but this is hardly surprising given recommendations to phase out fossil fuels and introduce ambitious targets for renewable heat deployment.

These debates are important, especially when we consider the change required. This makes confusion over dates and targets worrying, and the general misinformation about technological solutions like heat pumps is increasingly frustrating.

Heat pumps are an essential part of the decarbonisation solution and as noted by the CCC, mass deployment will be needed over the coming years.

Their benefits and capabilities should be widespread across media platforms, but misinformation often steers away from the facts. In this short article I hope to set things straight. I regularly see articles highlighting the need for larger heat emitters when installing heat pumps. This is often the case for existing homes but there are a range of options on the market where the radiators required are not significantly bigger than the standard size.

There is also very little cost if any associated with buying larger radiators when building a new home. Moreover, as the thermal efficiency of buildings increases and heat demand falls, radiators are increasingly likely to be oversized for the property meaning that they may not need to be replaced in order to be compatible with heat pumps.

Another primary misconception about heat pumps is that they will not work when it is cold outside. In reality, they can work to an outdoor temperature of -20°C and at the same time provide up to 58°C in supply line temperature.

By providing both space and hot water heating throughout the year and by heating water above 50 degrees, they run for longer hours and provide a consistent and comfortable indoor temperature. Their high efficiencies mean they can offer carbon emissions savings against fossil fuel systems including gas boilers, which we will be moving away from in the coming years.

The transition away from high carbon fossil fuels is essential in the low-carbon transition and heat pumps form part of a range of solutions available to address our heterogenous stock. However, whilst the technology is readily available, the number of installers familiar with renewable heating falls short.

To address this, a fully-fledged strategy to educate and qualify new heat pump installers will need to be prioritised. For consumers, the transition away from fossil fuels can be a daunting prospect.

Considering their engagement with homeowners, installers are best placed to raise awareness of the alternative heating options available. Recognising the importance of installer training is vital. They need to be able to covey the benefits of heat pumps and deploy them to perform as they should.

Given that the Future Homes Standard will mandate the end of fossil fuel heating systems in all new homes from 2025, we can expect the introduction of improved efficiency standards that will decrease heat demand substantially. It is therefore likely to mean that new homes will not have gas connections. It is in the government’s best interest to deliver an installer base that is prepared to deploy low-carbon alternatives.

The CCC has also recommended that almost all heating replacements in existing homes must be low carbon by 2035. This will require the roll-out of heat pumps in the 2020s alongside other low carbon systems with high levels of efficiency.

The Heat Pump Association (HPA) has welcomed the government’s announcement that the UK will become the first major nation to commit to reaching a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050. However, the HPA also warns that clear policy and a widespread adoption of ultra low-carbon heating systems are urgently required in order for the target to stand a realistic chance of being met.

The UK already has a 2050 target – to reduce emissions by 80%, which was agreed by MPs under the Climate Change Act in 2008, but it will now be amended to the new, much tougher goal that will demand a big move away from carbon-based heating systems. Despite acknowledging in the past that a major shift to solely heat pumps would be impractical, the HPA is calling on the government to promote wider support for heat pumps, as a technology that is widely understood, and is available now. This means the work towards hitting this new target can begin immediately, without the need to develop new technology.

Graham Wright, Chairman of the HPA, said: “We are extremely encouraged by the government’s decision to cut the UK’s emissions to almost zero by 2050, but to achieve this government and industry, collectively, must not ‘take our foot off the gas’. What industry needs now are clear signals, with explicit policy and well communicated pathways to low-carbon heating such as heat pumps.”

Wright continued: “The industry needs to prepare for increased production and training with a degree of certainty that is only achievable by clear policy and distinct time frames. The technology is widely available, but more structured training is needed to implement it. The HPA is ready to help government raise awareness among installers and customers and is already planning to set up its own training courses in the near future.” i

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The Heat Pump Association (HPA), as the UK’s leading authority on the use and benefits of heat pump technology, welcomes the publication today of the Committee on Climate Change’s Net Zero report, which highlights that a net-zero target for UK greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is both achievable and will deliver on the UK’s Paris Agreement commitments. The HPA agrees with the Committee that reaching this target is feasible with already available technologies, such as heat pumps, which are vital in the decarbonisation of UK heating systems.
Crucially, the report highlights the need for the Government to act immediately to implement a clear regulatory framework to achieve the decarbonisation of heat and recommends a range of policies to do so. The policy recommendations of the report include support for low carbon heating, a review of the balance of tax and regulatory costs across fuels, and a nationwide training programme to upskill the existing workforce. The HPA is pleased to see these recommendations as a means of reflecting the benefits of low carbon technologies and aims to work with all stakeholders to develop effective policy starting with the upcoming Part L Review and consultation on the regulatory framework for the future of heat to phase out high carbon fossil fuels.
Graham Wright, HPA Chairman, commented: “The HPA wholeheartedly supports the report’s recognition that urgent action is required to meet a net-zero target and welcomes the specific recommendations for decarbonising heat within the publication.
“Momentum is now gathering among the public acknowledging the need to change the way we heat our buildings and, as highlighted in the report, known technologies, such as heat pumps, offer a clear solution for this.
“Heat pumps offer an extensive opportunity to reduce the UK’s emissions, as well as helping to address other policy issues such as fuel poverty and air quality. The Future Homes standard set to be introduced in 2025, and supported within this report, represents the ‘low-hanging fruit’ of heating in new builds, which, in addition to those properties off the gas grid, should be the immediate focus for the Government.”
The Committee on Climate Change Report ‘Net Zero: the UK’s contribution to stopping global warming’ is available here. ')}

On the 9th April 2019, the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), in collaboration with SME Europe and DryFiciency, organised a breakfast debate on tackling the subject of “Industrial and Commercial Heat Pumps: the unpolished gem in Europe’s energy transition necklace”. The event was hosted by MEP Dr. Paul Rübig of the EPP Group.
Policymakers, MEP Dr. Paul Rübig (AT/EPP) and MEP Seán Kelly (IE/EPP), discussed with the representatives of industry, civil society and the research sector about the next policy actions needed to seize the opportunities that high capacity and high-temperature heat pumps can provide to production processes in many applications. The following technology can foster the transition of energy-intensive industries and businesses are playing a leading role to enable the large deployment of heat pumps on an industrial and commercial level.
Dr. Paul Rübig, Member of the European People Party’s opened the breakfast debate by recalling the fact that heating and cooling of buildings is on top of the list of the most significant contributors for CO2 emissions. Therefore, Policymakers should focus on improving the energy efficiency of households and buildings. He then continued by stating that “the best energy is the one that is not consumed. Therefore, technologies should be promoted that further increase the energy efficiency of industry and households.”
Eric Delforge, Chair of the EHPA’s Industrial and Commercial Heat Pump working group, inspired the participants by presenting the potential of large heat pump applications in a sustainable and smart energy system. He then led the audience through the demonstration that waste-less heating and cooling in the production process is possible. The installation of such closed and renewable system is possible thanks to the large heat pumps appliances. Now, “we need bold policymakers” to push energy efficiency in the energy-intensive industries, in the same way that the EU pushed for energy efficiency of fridges and lightbulbs back in time.
Individual businesses are setting the example for bigger industries by integrating large heat pumps appliances in their production processes and their buildings.
Naturally, participants agreed on the need for a proper recognition of heat pump technology to deploy it where possible in the industrial and commercial sector, thus using the full potential of waste heat to the maximum extent and include renewable technologies into industrial heating and cooling processes. The economic advantage of using heat pumps in businesses is a reality as in the case of Colruyt and in the Dairy industry.
In this view, to better disseminate the potentialities of the industrial and commercial heat pumps, EHPA is preparing a second edition of the ‘’Large scale heat pump in Europe’’ (download the previous version), a brochure presenting examples of realized and successful projects involving large heat pumps. The publication will be presented the 15-16 May 2019, during the Heat Pump Forum in Brussels.
Further details and presentations can be found here
 
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The Heat Pump Association (HPA) says the government’€™s announcement in the Spring Statement that gas boilers will be banned in new homes from 2025 is a step in the right direction. It also supports the comments made by the Committee on Climate Change in their recent report, “UK Housing: Fit for the Future?”€™, which called on the government to get serious about tackling emissions from homes.
The HPA believes that it is vital that consumers are made aware of the potential of heat pumps for low carbon heating. Heat pumps supply more energy than they consume by extracting heat from their surroundings. Currently, heat pump systems can supply as much as 3kW of heat output for just 1kW of energy input.
Graham Wright, HPA Chairman, said: “Although heat pumps can save considerable carbon emissions this has not been recognised yet in building regulation and the UK needs a mechanism to enable us to take advantage of the 10 years of investment in renewable power generation, which has seen a significant reduction in the amount of CO2 emitted per kWh generated.”€
Wright continued: “€œFurther investment in training is also required to enable the current cohort of boiler installers to be able to install renewable technologies, a task that the industry understands and will be working with all stakeholders to ensure we achieve.”€
www.heatpumps.org.uk
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The Heat Pump Association (HPA) was recently invited to give evidence during a parliamentary session held by the Science and Technologies Committee as part of its inquiry into ‘Technologies for meeting Clean Growth emissions reduction targets’.
Graham Hazell attended the session on behalf of the HPA at the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday 26th February 2019, alongside David Weatherall, Head of Policy at the Energy Saving Trust, Jenny Holland, Senior Public Affairs and Policy Specialist for the UK Green Building Council, and Sam French of the Decarbonised Gas Alliance.
During the session, led by Committee Chair Norman Lamb MP, the Committee explored the options for decarbonising the UK’s road transport and domestic heat sectors, including energy efficiency measures. The Committee considered potential long term scenarios that could meet the UK’s emissions reductions targets as well as the actions the Government should be taking now to enable the UK to determine and pursue the optimum routes to these future scenarios.
Mr Hazell stressed the importance of the Electrical Grid Carbon Factor and its impact on the uptake of heat pumps. This point, which raised considerable interest amongst the Committee members, is a relatively easy quick win.
Graham Wright, Chairman of the HPA, commented: “While many proposed low carbon heating technologies are in the early development stage, heat pumps are ready and available now and do not need the huge investment being asked for from other technologies, such as hydrogen. Bio heating oil is currently a concept rather than a reality. We look forward to seeing the findings of the Committee’s report.”
The full parliamentary session can be viewed at: https://bit.ly/2Tfi5xR
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The Heat Pump Association (HPA) has welcomed a report by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) that calls for a ban on gas boilers in homes by 2025.
The report, ‘UK Housing: Fit for the future?’, calls on the government to get serious about tackling emissions from homes, warning that the UK’s legally-binding climate change targets will not be met without the near-complete elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from UK buildings.
The Heat Pump Association believes that it is vital that key people in industry are aware of the potential of heat pumps for low carbon heating. Heat pumps supply more energy than they consume, by extracting heat from their surroundings. Currently heat pump systems can supply as much as 3kW of heat output for just 1kW of energy input. In many systems, heat is transferred from outside air or from warm exhaust air. In other types of system the heat can be drawn from the ground, or water sources such as rivers or waste water.
Graham Wright, Chairman of the HPA, commented, “Although a major short term shift to solely heat pumps would be impractical, extension of the gas grid in rural areas severely risks creating a much bigger negative legacy for the future. What cannot be denied is the ability of heat pump systems of all genres to significantly reduce carbon emissions, even at quite modest system efficiencies, compared to combustion based heating.”
Graham Hazell, consultant to the HPA, will be giving evidence to the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee at Westminster on Tuesday 26th February 2019 on this subject. The discussion forms part of the Committee’s inquiry into technologies for meeting clean growth emissions reductions targets, and will be available to view live on Parliament TV.
The HPA is the UK’s leading authority on the use and benefits of heat pump technology, influencing legislation and other matters that affect the interests of its industry. ')}

The HPA has reviewed and commented upon a recent document from BEIS entitled “Clean Growth – Transfoming Heat”.
This report focuses on ways the UK can de-carbonise heat, and move to low carbon heating sources. Clearly, heat pumps have a huge role to play in such a strategy and the HPA were very glad to have the opportunity to comment.
Some of the key points the HPA raised in its response were:
The Electricity Grid Carbon Factor currently in Building Regulations does not reflect the recent dramatic drop in carbon emissions from electricity generation, and hence means that the performance of heat pumps is unfairly penalised.
The report quotes an oft repeated myth that heat pumps only work with well insulated buildings; this is clearly wrong. Any heating system will operate more efficiently in a well insulated building.
Heat pumps are a well understood technology that is available TODAY.
There needs to be some lateral thinking as regards electricity tariffs and subsidies to facilitate the uptake of heat pumps.
We need to engage with consumers to highlight the benefits, and ultimate energy and money savings, of using this technology.
Several of these topics have been the subject of recent articles by the HPA in the industry press.
The full response will be available on the HPA website in the near future. ')}

The HPA are pleased to be able to confirm that the RHI affirmative regulations passed the final stage in Parliament on 17th May.
Ofgem will be updating their website to confirm the details of the changes being enacted on 22nd May.
Here is a short summary of the regulations included in the package to become live on 22nd May:
Domestic RHI:
• Introduction of Assignment of Rights (registration to be a Registered Investor commences 27th June with the first registrations anticipated in the Autumn)
• Introduction of mandatory electricity metering for heat pumps on DRHI and domestic properties on shared ground loop systems in the NDRHI
Non-domestic RHI:
• Introduction of tariff guarantees – for HP’s GSHP >100kW only- amount of heat covered limited to 250GWh per year
• Removal of wood fuel drying, waste drying or processing, and domestic swimming pools on Non-domestic premises as eligible uses of heat
• Introduction of shared ground loop regulations for ground source heat pumps – payments for heat pumps linked to domestic properties will be made on basis of deemed heat rather than metering
• Changes to efficiency thresholds for solid biomass Combined Heat and Power plant (implementation of 20% power efficiency threshold, up from 10%)
• Uplift to biogas/biomethane tariffs
• New Biogas/biomethane feedstock requirements closely linked to the high biomethane and biogas tariffs
• Removal of digestate drying as an eligible heat use
Changes affecting both schemes:
• Revision of degression thresholds out to 2020/21
• Amend degression mechanism methodology
• Operational administrative changes to give Ofgem (scheme administrators) further powers:
o Clarification that any grant funding received post-accreditation is to be deducted from future payments;
o Clarification of powers to withhold payments for a Metering Monitoring Service Package (MMSP) in cases of non-compliance;
o Clarifying Ofgem powers to reject applications where it is not fully satisfied that the plant will operate in line with ongoing obligations;
o Amending enforcement provisions to make it clearer where Ofgem may impose sanctions, including putting a greater onus on participants to evidence that they are in compliance;
o Introducing new powers where Ofgem has been refused access to a site;
o Enabling Ofgem to ban applicants from the scheme where they have misled Ofgem;
o Reducing the period of dormancy (when applications are with applicant pending further information or clarification) from a minimum of 12 weeks to a minimum of 4 weeks;
o Clarifying in regulations that Ofgem may conduct an unannounced audit.
Once the changes are live, updated Guidance documents will also be published there to reflect the amended regulations. ')}