A new report backed by MPs and launched by Minister for Climate Change Lord Duncan today calls for an urgent Green Heat Roadmap by 2020 to scale low carbon heating technologies and help Britain’s homeowners access the advice they need to take smarter greener choices on heating their homes.  The year-long study by UK think-tank Policy Connect warns that the UK will miss its 2050 net-zero climate target “unless radical changes in housing policy, energy policy and climate policy are prioritised”.

UK homes are primarily heated by fossil fuels and contribute 13% of UK’s carbon footprint (equivalent to all the UK’s 38.4m cars). The report says this is incompatible with UK climate legislation targeting net-zero economy by 2050. New polling finds that consumers are open to cleaner greener ways to heat their homes into the future but that they are “still in the dark about smarter, greener heating solutions and lack access to independent advice to help them make better decisions for their homes, pockets and the planet”.

The report – Uncomfortable Home Truths: why Britain urgently needs a low carbon heat strategy – says a bold new national roadmap is needed by 2020 which puts consumers and households at the heart of a revolution in green heat innovation. It recommends the creation of an Olympic-style delivery body to catalyse and coordinate regional innovation and local leadership, tailored to different parts of the UK and the nation’s diverse housing stock.

This report is the third in the Future Gas Series, which has explored the opportunties and challenges associated with using low carbon gas in the energy system, and is backed by cross-party parliamentary co-Chairs. 

Alan Whitehead MP, Shadow Labour Minister for Energy and Climate Change (Lab, Southampton Test) and report co-Chair said: “This report shows we have just five years to trial and scale new macro and micro solutions for our gas grid and home heating systems to keep costs and carbon down. It’s a welcome wake up call for politicians, utilities, customers, planners and house-builders that we all need to work together on long-term policy framework that puts households first, cuts emissions, cuts bills and keeps British homes warm.”

Matthew Lipson, Business Leader: Consumer Insight, Energy Systems Catapult says, “Innovation is critical if households are to get the heating experiences they want at home without emitting carbon. We’ve seen very rapid changes in practically every aspect of our lives, from how we use our mobiles and how we shop for food, to how we relax in front of the TV. We can decarbonise heat by applying the same techniques these sectors have used to martial complex supply chains and deliver experiences consumers enjoy.”

David Weatherall, Head of Policy, Energy Savings Trust, says: “Good advice is the bedrock of any good transition. Householders will be faced with many new low carbon heating options in the coming years and may sometimes be confronted with complicated choices.  Ensuring these households have access to impartial trusted energy advice will become increasingly important as low carbon heat is rolled out.”