In the FHS document, published on January 19th, MHCLG said: “that a low carbon heating system will be integral to the specification of the Future Homes Standard and we anticipate that heat pumps will become the primary heating technology for new homes.”
The central document and the associated materials on SAP 10.1 contain a raft of measures which clearly set out the vital role that the electrification of heat, through the installation of heat pumps, will play in the thirty years between now and the legally binding Net Zero deadline.
Laura Bishop, chair of the GSHPA said: “The next transitional decade will be a challenge for the whole Built Environment sector, but positive collaboration between all parties will enable environmental responsibility as well as being sustainable in skills, product and market proposition development, and in building the confidence of the public in heat pump technology.”
“It is essential that all new homes and commercial buildings are Net Zero ready as quickly as possible. The timescale for this cannot be allowed to extend, but the greater task will be in treating our existing housing stock where fabric improvements must march hand-in-hand with the replacement of carbon-intensive heating systems.”
Bean Beanland of the HPF, sister organisation to the GSHPA, and which also represents end users of heat pumps, said: “All eyes will be on how the necessary but seismic shift away from fossil fuels will be funded. It is essential that new mechanisms are found to pave the way for massive private investment whilst still protecting those who cannot self-fund or who are in, or close to, fuel poverty.”
“Heat pump technologies can already deliver the lowest cost thermal energy when combined with time of use tariffs and other flexibility instruments, and we look forward to working with government to construct the specific policies that will be needed to deliver on the Prime Minister’s 10-point Plan, the Energy White Paper, the FHS and the forthcoming Heat & Buildings Strategy.”