HEAT AND BUILDINGS: THE FUTURE FOR CLEAN HEATING
October 2021
Now the dust has settled on the release of the UK governments’ much-anticipated Heat and Buildings Strategy, we’re taking time to dig into the key points and what this means for industry and consumers alike in our path of action towards net zero. We’ll of course take a look at what it all means for emitters, or ‘heat distribution methods’ as they are referred to in the strategy, and all that goes along with them.
THE PATH TO BUILD BACK GREENER
Heating buildings, largely with natural gas, accounts for nearly a quarter of UK emissions. The majority of these emissions come from people’s homes.
The Heat and Buildings Strategy was published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 19 October. It sets out details of a £3.9 billion package to support the decarbonisation of heat for UK buildings.
It is part of the much larger Net Zero Strategy which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.
Since publication, both strategies have sparked quite the conversation amongst industry and consumers. Heat pumps have taken over the headlines over the past couple of weeks, appearing on numerous mainstream television and radio shows as consumers start to get curious about this ‘new’ technology and how they’ll be able to afford the switch.
The realisation for industry is that we’re on the wave of rapid, drastic change. For a company like Jaga, whose whole ethos is based on respecting nature, this is a welcome realisation. The UK is finally catching up. We have a path, perhaps the path is too long and not quite finished, but a path all the same, to avoid catastrophic climate change.
KEY POINTS FROM THE STRATEGY
Ban on gas boilers in new builds by 2025 and ban on sale of new gas boilers by 2035
Jaga has been leading the charge in the move away from fossil fuels and towards low carbon energy sources for many years. Although our products will still work perfectly with gas boilers and oil-based systems, they are designed to work efficiently with cleaner, more ecologically sustainable systems such as heat pumps operating on low flow temperatures.
Although a total ban is welcome news, the UK is seriously lagging behind other European countries and the date of 2035 for a ban on new boiler sales is well beyond that advised by the International Energy Agency in their latest special report, which stresses that no new gas boilers should be sold after 2025 if net zero targets are to be achieved.
Apart from the fact you will not be able to buy a new gas boiler from 2035, the Strategy does not mention banning existing gas boilers in existing homes. The government has specifically said they are not forcing consumers to make this switch. In reality, this would be a difficult feat. The hope is that consumers will gradually change to heat pumps as the technology gets better, heat pumps become more commonplace across the country and prices reduce.
Extension of the Clean Heat Grant scheme – now known as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Cost is seen as the major barrier to heat pump uptake. The government press release accompanying the Strategy emphasised they expect heat pump prices to fall by 25-50% by 2025 “as the market expands and technology develops”. It even states that the aim is for heat pumps to cost the same to buy and run as fossil fuel boilers by 2030. This is very welcome news.
Going beyond earlier proposals, the scheme will now run for three years from April 2022 with an increased funding pot of £450 million. Consumers will receive government grants of up to £5,000 to purchase an air source heat pump or up to £6,000 for a ground source heat pump. These grants mean people choosing to install heat pumps, currently costing upwards of £10,000, will pay a similar amount as if they were installing a traditional gas boiler.
Although we’re pleased to hear about the changes to the scheme, as Mike Childs (head of science at Friends of the Earth) rightly pointed out, “A quick glance reveals it to be quite modest. £450 million delivered via individual £5,000 grants means 90,000 heat pump installations over three years. That just isn’t very much and won’t meet the Prime Minister’s ambition of 600,000 a year by 2028.” In fact, that will cover just 5% of the target.
Many have echoed this viewpoint, agreeing that the initiatives for low carbon heating in homes are simply set to fail due to a lack of funding. There is a long way to go before all 29 million UK homes are being heated with low carbon technology.
Rebalancing of environmental levies on electricity and gas
As it stands in the UK gas is currently typically cheaper than electricity. The Strategy recognises that this needs to change stating that, “Current pricing of electricity and gas does not incentivise consumers to make green choices, such as switching from gas boilers to electric heat pumps”. The government is currently exploring ways to “expand carbon pricing and remove costs from electricity bills while ensuring that we continue to limit any impact on bills overall”. A decision on levies is due in 2022.
If electricity costs less than gas this will of course help stimulate demand for electric heat pumps, with consumers safe in the knowledge that fuel bills will be reduced.
Improving energy-efficiency through a fabric first approach
The Strategy makes a lot of references to energy efficiency throughout and states in the opening section that the “journey to net-zero buildings starts with better energy performance”, emphasising the importance of a “fabric-first approach” that focuses on improving the efficiency of walls and lofts before replacing heating systems.
But something that has struck many in the energy sector is the omission of financial support for energy-efficiency insulation measures in existing homes. The efficiency of a building is key to the performance and stability of an air source heat pump. Therefore, insulation should always be considered where possible as a first step to reduce energy usage and carbon emissions from our homes.
The £1.5 billion Green Homes Grant voucher scheme ended early in March this year with just 20% of planned funding allocated. Although there is funding outlined in the new Strategy to support low-income households to upgrade insulation via the £950 million Home Upgrade Scheme and £800 million Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, there is an argument that this should be more widely available in order to improve the 60% of UK homes with a current EPC rating of D or below.
The Strategy does state however that the Future Homes Standard will be introduced for England by 2025. As a stepping-stone to this, there will be an interim uplift in standards for England, effective from June 2022, that will result in a 31% reduction in carbon emissions from new homes compared to current standards.
WHAT ABOUT EMITTERS?
Section 3.1 of the Strategy outlines key technologies available now to decarbonise heating in buildings. It lists “internal heat distribution systems (such as radiators and pipework” as a vital consideration alongside other factors such as the fabric and thermal efficiency of the building, and energy-related products.
The need to improve heat distribution efficiency is covered further in this section:
“Operating at low flow temperatures delivers benefits to all heating systems. We are considering how we can support and build on the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) recent proposal to ensure that heat distribution system being installed are designed to operate at low flow temperatures below 55°C.”
Organisations such as the Heat Pump Association are also recommending that a maximum flow temperature of 55˚C is mandated in Building Regulations for replacement heating systems from 2026.
Heat pumps typically provide low temperature heat, with an optimal flow temperature of about 45°C. However, higher temperature heat pump systems, with 65°C flow temperature, are available.
The Strategy states that “To maintain levels of thermal comfort at low flow temperatures, changes may be required to heat distribution systems, such as installing larger or more efficient radiators, alongside thermal efficiency improvements, such as draught-proofing and insulation.”
Installing larger radiators should not be an option. If using traditional steel panel radiators, in some cases, they need to be double the size of the originals and additional units may also need to be installed in order to reach the same level of warmth provided by the high temperature gas boiler. This does not qualify as an ‘efficient’ measure. It can not only ruin the aesthetic of the space but also means increased material usage and weight and increased water usage, as well as all the increases needed during production and transportation processes that go alongside making products larger. For the occupier, it also means slower reaction speeds and energy wasted through overheating.
Installing “more efficient radiators” on the other hand, makes much more sense and is in line with the Strategy’s later outlined vision, which states that, “By 2050, buildings should make use of a combination of technologies… to minimise their carbon emissions and maximise their energy performance, thereby achieving the best environmental impact rating possible for that building…. Measures include:… heat distributors (radiators, underfloor heating) that will ensure heating appliances can work more efficiently and provide lower temperature heat”.
Jaga’s Low-H2O radiators are proven to work at low flow temperatures – you’ll always see Jaga product outputs published at 55/45 so they’re the perfect partner for heat pump systems. Low-H2O products can usually heat the space with the same size emitter as the original steel panel rad, or often even smaller, are much more energy-efficient, use less water and less material.
Installing more efficient radiators has been included as a recommendation in the Heat and Buildings Strategy to maintain levels of thermal comfort at low flow temperatures. Pictured: Jaga’s energy-efficient Strada Hybrid.
A system with Low-H2O radiators is proven to use up to 16% less energy than a system with steel panel radiators, so they automatically tick the box for energy-efficient heat distribution products.
For even higher outputs and faster response times with low carbon heating systems, Dynamic Boost Hybrid (DBH) can be added inside the Low-H2O radiator. DBH is a pioneering technology utilising small, quiet electric thermal activators to increase airflow and significantly boost radiator output without increasing radiator size. In fact, it means the radiators can be even smaller. So, if wall space and aesthetics are paramount, this is a great option.
To learn more about why Low-H2O and Dynamic Boost Hybrid technology are the ultimate solutions for a low carbon heating system, read our recent blog, ‘Low Carbon Heating: What About Emitters?’ https://jaga.co.uk/blog/low-carbon-heating-what-about-emitters
IN SUMMARY
Overall, the Heat and Buildings Strategy is a positive set of policies and proposals that will take the UK in the right direction towards net zero. Although we are behind the curve with the phasing out of gas boilers and further commitments do need to be made in terms of additional funding and plugging the gaps we’ve mentioned in order to realistically meet our net zero target, we’re on our way.
Jaga has been designing energy-efficient low temperature compatible heating and cooling systems for many years and we’re pleased to see the UK government is finally catching up. We’re excited to be a key component in helping the UK towards net zero, and for the future in a low carbon, cleaner, greener world.
