IPPR: Government installing less than two per cent of heat pumps needed to decarbonise the nation’s homes
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Heat pumps combined with high energy efficiency standards should be
central to a national strategy to revolutionise home heating and
radically reduce the UK’s carbon consumption, according to a new
IPPR report. IPPR estimates that at least 12 million homes across
England alone will need to be fitted with heat pumps and energy
efficiency measures, such as insulation, over the next 30 years for
the UK to meet its net zero targets. However, the government
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Heat pumps combined with high energy efficiency standards should be central to a national strategy to revolutionise home heating and radically reduce the UK’s carbon consumption, according to a new IPPR report. IPPR estimates that at least 12 million homes across England alone will need to be fitted with heat pumps and energy efficiency measures, such as insulation, over the next 30 years for the UK to meet its net zero targets. However, the government is supporting the installation of less than 2 per cent of the heat pumps that are needed each year if the UK is to meet its 2050 net zero target. The think tank warns that, whilst the recently announced £3 billion for energy efficiency is welcome, this is only a first step and clear support is needed to decarbonise the way we heat our homes, in addition to making them more energy-efficient. Across England it would take closer to £10.6 billion a year from both public and private investment until 2030, and a further £7 billion a year from 2030 to 2050, to meet the pace and scale of action needed. The call comes as new polling for IPPR reveals:
This scale of investment in a combination of heat pumps and energy efficiency, as well as in local heat networks, comes with considerable rewards beyond helping to tackle the climate crisis, according to IPPR. These include the creation of 275,000 urgently needed jobs in England alone, and the potential to lower household energy bills. The progressive think tank also warns that any public investment risks being wasted unless it is guided by a comprehensive Home Improvement Plan from central government. Local government must also be empowered and funded to build the capacity to drive area-based initiatives and deliver retrofit upgrades, street by street. At the core of this plan should be the significant scale up of heat pumps – electric devices that draw in heat energy from air outside the home and distribute it within – replacing existing central heating systems. Heat networks that distribute heating around a neighbourhood from a central local source are also considered worthwhile investments by IPPR. These measures will need to be combined with a larger rollout of energy efficiency measures, like loft and wall insulation, according to IPPR. The report calls on the government to choose a clear ‘technology pathway’ now so that supply chains and processes can be quickly scaled up to bring overall costs down. The report argues that, while there will be a role for different technologies, heat pumps should be the dominant device used over hydrogen boilers – an alternative option favoured by some. IPPR argues that heat pumps are already readily available, are likely to be cheaper to run, and do not rely on natural gas imported in large quantities from overseas. Building the necessary supply chains, scaling-up the workforce and developing the skills needed to deliver a nationwide decarbonisation programme will also be key. IPPR suggest that the government should prioritise social housing for the first wave of retrofits, as this would build on progress already made in the sector. Rapid uptake in the social rented sector and scaled-up supply chains would also help attract more private investment into retrofitting, according to the think tank. The comprehensive Home Improvement Plan proposed by IPPR to finance and implement this low-carbon housing revolution, would require the government to:
Jonathan Webb, IPPR Research Fellow, said: “A low-carbon heat strategy built around heat pumps would provide a tech-ready plan for decarbonising our homes. Adopting this technology now, and supporting its uptake, will allow industry to focus on the challenge ahead and enable the training of workers to begin in earnest. This will unlock job creation and allow the government to drastically accelerate the decarbonisation of our homes.” Joshua Emden, IPPR Research Fellow, said: “The government’s announcement on energy efficiency was a very welcome step in the right direction. But we also need to focus on scaling up the low-carbon technologies that will heat our homes, not just making them more efficient. A new Home Improvement Plan would maximise the potential for savings on energy bills by going further on the good work that’s been done on energy efficiency and pairing this with low-carbon heating technologies like heat pumps.” ENDS
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