We will need a mix of technologies and locality-specific solutions to decarbonise our heating system
2 min read
Cadent have responded to Wera Hobhouse MP.
As Cadent, the Climate Change Committee and others have made clear, there is no realistic scenario which allows the UK to hit its Net Zero target by 2050 without hydrogen playing a key role in decarbonising heat, transport and industrial processes.
There will need to be a whole-system approach to future energy planning to ensure the UK hits these targets whilst driving forward the economy and the country.
We will need a mix of technologies and locality-specific solutions to decarbonise our heating system.
Cadent believes that regulatory levers should be used to unlock the private sector investment required, thereby minimising the impact on the public finances.
This might include, for example, the mandating of hydrogen-ready boilers to align with the Future Homes Standard by 2025, and the introduction of a Low Carbon Obligation (LCO) from that date to enable investment in low carbon forms of heating, such as hydrogen, biomethane, and hybrid systems ensuring customer choice in achieving Net Zero.
Mandating the energy efficiency of homes could be a mechanism the government uses to kick-start the economy after Covid-19 and would help the UK on its journey to Net Zero, but this should be part of a wider package of measures that support and drive forward various decarbonisation technologies.
A whole-system approach needs a whole-system plan.
