By Oliver Baker, CEO at Ambion Heating
The government’s Green Homes Grant – a £3bn funding package to help improve the energy efficiency of public buildings and homes – was billed as the first ‘down payment’ on a wider post-Covid ‘Green Recovery’ plan. As decarbonising domestic heat is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges we face if the UK wants to hit its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, how can the refurb and retrofit sector make the most of these initiatives, and take the opportunity to ‘smarten up’ the heating in domestic, commercial and public sector buildings?
In the full Green Homes Grant guidance released by BEIS, it states that ‘eligible measures are any energy efficiency and heating measures compatible with the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) that will help improve E, F or G rated homes’. While measures such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and glazing have been quoted, the Grant can also be applied to more energy efficient heating technologies. Starting in Q4 2020, it is an immediate opportunity to kickstart a major energy efficiency drive.
Longer term, the Clean Heat Grant, which is designed to replace the domestic renewable heat incentive in 2022 and is currently under consultation, proposes to change the support for technologies that help achieve the decarbonisation of domestic heat from a tariff to a grant. Where cost is a barrier to installation, a grant of £4000 would significantly increase the uptake of low-carbon technologies in domestic properties and small non-domestic buildings.
However, more needs to be done to include the full range of options available to those considering upgrading their heating system to one that is more energy efficient. For example, while air source heat pumps have been getting the headlines, other technologies, such as computer controlled infrared heating (CCIR), can also provide a long-term solution to saving costs and carbon.
The common ground is that something needs to be done about heat. And, while gas boilers won’t be installed in new build properties from 2025 under the Future Homes Standard, as yet there isn’t a clear policy for addressing gas heating in existing homes. However, recent reports, including one from the Confederation of British Industry, argue that installation of gas boilers in all homes and businesses should be banned from 2025, so any refurbishment or retrofit product needs to be looking at low carbon alternatives.
So, what are the main benefits of a low-carbon heating system like CCIR? As well as reducing energy bills, it is highly efficient. Its energy usage and emissions are at a comparable level with air source heat pumps and it also has the added benefit of 40% lower installation costs.
Additional benefits include the system being uniquely compatible with flexi tariffs (it can reduce unit cost of electricity by c.30%) – as well as solar and batteries – as energy is drawn at a 24/7 ‘trickle’, avoiding morning and evening energy spikes. Also, as it warms fabrics, rather than air, CCIR provides a more comfortable heat, helping to reduce damp and mould, and the circulation of dust and allergens.
If the UK wants to hit its target of net zero carbon emission by 2050, decarbonising heat is the major challenge to overcome. Innovative heating technologies such as CCIR can go a long way in supporting this decarbonisation in both the refurb and retrofit market, helping to provide a cleaner, greener future.
