2050 Net Zero Targets & Electric Heating

Could electric heating be the answer to 2050 net zero ambition?

The news that the government is set to pull a significant u-turn on the sale of gas boilers could be looked at as something of an embarrassment ahead of the COP26 climate conference.

Boris Johnson is set to allow a further five years before a ban on the sale and installation of new gas boilers comes into force - moving the deadline back to a distant 2040.

The move has come because the government believes that the cost of hydrogen boilers and air source heat pumps will prove prohibitive for householders, and to give more time to energy companies to move people across to the new technology on a gradual basis.

The delay in introducing the ban means that the government’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 could come under serious threat as working boilers may need to be taken out and replaced before they break down to realise the ambition.

In reality, the plan by the government has always been somewhat tenuous. The manufacturers of the new hydrogen boilers have been struggling to get their systems working in time, which has played a large part in Boris Johnson’s decision to push back the deadline.

On a separate note, while air source heat pumps may be an answer to new build heating issues, they won’t be retrofitted to council-owned properties. It is our understanding that the government has already pulled the funding for any such scheme.

On a brighter note, electric heating may well be the answer.

It is robust and can be used alongside solar and PV-derived energy and may well be what the government turns to as it looks to plug the gap on what could be a dangerous five year delay as it works towards its carbon neutral goal of 2050.

Tags: Regulations.