The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has today announced that
it will look at electrical, gas and hybrid heat pumps, marking
the next phase of its Technological Innovation and Climate Change
inquiry.
Heat pumps transport heat from one location (such as the air
outside) to another (such as a hot water system inside) using a
small amount of external energy, which is often electricity. The
technology could play a major role in decarbonising heat, which
in domestic, industrial and commercial settings currently
accounts for over a third of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The Committee on Climate Change has said that to meet the
commitment to reach net-zero by 2050, 19 million heat pumps will
need to be installed and that hybrid heat pumps should be widely
used by 2035.
The Prime Minister has recently spoken on the role ground-source
heat pumps could play in the ‘green industrial revolution’, and
in its report, 80% of Climate Assembly UK members agreed that
heat pumps should play a role in getting the UK to net-zero.
However, there are current limitations to rolling out the
technology. For example, heat pumps are currently more expensive
that conventional options such as gas-fired boilers. A report,
published last week by the UK Energy Research Centre, highlighted
record sales of gas boilers last year, with current rates
suggesting it will take 700 years for the UK to move to
low-carbon heating. Electrical grids would also need to be
significantly expanded to facilitate the extra capacity that
electric heat pumps would require.
Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, , said:
“If the UK is to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,
we need to accelerate the rolling out of technologies that can
get us there. The purpose of the Committee’s work in this area is
to examine whether new, low-carbon technologies can keep the
lights on and our homes warm.
“Heat pumps are playing an increasingly significant role
in decarbonising heat in other countries. I look forward to the
Committee examining why this has yet to take off across the UK,
hearing from the sector on whether rolling out heat pumps is
feasible at scale and what barriers exist to wider adoption. We
hope our findings can help inform the Government’s Heat and
Buildings Strategy as it pioneers the course of the new Green
Industrial Revolution.”
The Committee will be considering these issues, and more, before
sharing its findings and recommendations with Government on the
role heat pumps can play in reaching net-zero.
Terms of reference
The Committee is inviting written submissions to inform its
forthcoming evidence session. These should focus on, but not be
limited to:
- What steps can the Government take to increase uptake of heat
pumps?
- How can we ensure that the regulatory frameworks in place
work together to guarantee heat pumps are used in the most
effective places, alongside other technological solutions?
- What steps can be taken to lower heat pump installation
costs?
- What role should gas or hybrid heat pumps play in helping the
UK reach the target of net zero emissions by 2050?
- How can the Government tackle the current skills gap for
designers, builders and installers of heat pumps?
- How can public awareness of heat pumps be improved?
