Heat Pumps Important For Decarbonising UK’s Building Stock

The UK government has made much of wanting to reduce the country’s carbon emissions and a big part of this involves tackling existing building stock and ensuring that any new properties that are constructed focus on energy efficiency.

Speaking to The Energyst recently, Richard Lowes, who focuses on heat policy research at the Exeter Energy Policy Group, explained that moving away from gas heating is essential if the country is to hit its carbon reduction targets.

He stated that emissions from heat must be “absolutely zero by 2050” to ensure the UK can meet its obligations under the Climate Change Act and Paris agreement.

“That is non-negotiable, because it is possible to get to zero emissions from space heating, whereas other sectors cannot get to those levels,” Mr Lowes explained.

As a result, he believes that heat pumps, storage and smart technologies should form part of the solution – namely to provide heating during times of peak demand. The other priority should be reducing demand for heat, and that means making the current building stock considerably more efficient than it currently is.

Earlier this month, the government came in for criticism over its Renewable Heat Incentive after the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee released a report stating that the initiative had failed to boost take up of renewable and low-carbon heating to the levels initially expected.

If you’re keen to improve the energy efficiency of your premises and want to learn more about commercial heat pumps, contact us and speak to our experts today to find out which heating solution will be most appropriate for your needs and how it could reduce your energy bills and carbon emissions.