In a four-step plan proposed by Mitsubishi Electric, the Government can do this by:
- Incentivising and encouraging households to insulate their homes to use less energy.
- Decouple the cost of electricity from gas and review taxation to help transition from fossil fuel heating.
- Setting an end date for the installation of all fossil fuel-fired boilers.
- Supporting training for more heat pump installers.
Residential product group director Russell Dean said: “We are very supportive of the Government’s target to reach net zero by 2050 and believe this can be achieved so that it is both pro-business and pro-growth.
Further reductions to decarbonise home heating
“The Government can be ambitious and bold to set the direction to achieve further reductions to decarbonise home heating with the help of businesses such as ours.”
Domestic heating is a significant portion of the UK’s annual carbon emissions. A move to sustainable forms of heating, such as heat pumps, will reduce household emissions and bring down consumers’ heating costs. Providing renewable energy, heat pumps are central to decarbonising homes and are the future of residential heating in Britain.
Mitsubishi Electric employs more than 1,700 people at its factory in Livingston, Scotland, where Ecodan heat pumps are manufactured. In the last year, the company has doubled the factory’s capacity. It plans further expansion next year, including investment in training facilities and increasing its ability to train heat pump installers by 300%.
Looking for long-term certainty
On future investment, Russell Dean continued: “We and other businesses have made major investments and are prepared to invest further to reach the net zero target. Businesses, however, look for long-term certainty from the Government. With this, we can invest and drive long-term growth in the UK’s green economy.”