UK liquefied petroleum gas industry poised to support BEIS on off-grid decarbonisation objectives

Liquid Gas UK

3 min read13 June 2018

This week UKLPG, the trade association for the LPG industry in the UK, responded to BEIS’ Call for Evidence highlighting the role that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) can play in displacing high carbon fossil fuels in properties off the gas grid.

BEIS’ A Future Framework for Heat in Building Call for Evidence is seeking views from industry about how best to phase out high carbon fossil fuels (oil and coal) during the 2020s, as well as evidence on which technologies and innovation can support this transition.

The UKLPG response to the Call for Evidence highlights the significant role that LPG already plays in delivering reliable low carbon heating to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses that are located off the gas grid. Beyond this, LPG can deliver immediate carbon savings of 1,054,088 tonnes of CO2 per annum from the 850,000 homes that currently using oil for their heating.

Gas powered systems and technologies provide an energy efficient and cost-effective solution to the challenge of off-grid decarbonisation whilst ensuring that domestic and commercial heat demand is met without compromising service standards, convenience or comfort.

Beyond the immediate carbon savings attainable through instant switches from coal and oil to LPG, the UKLPG response further plots a heat delivery pathway explaining how LPG can deliver future off-grid heating in line with the 2032 and 2050 carbon budgets, through high efficiency gas powered technologies including hybrid systems and gas driven heat pumps, as well as the incremental deployment of bioLPG into the supply chain.

To support the delivery of this carbon reduction UKLPG’s response makes a series of recommendations to BEIS:

Setting an end date for the burning of high carbon fossil fuels in off-grid homes and businesses to give a clear message to all stakeholders in the heating sector about how they must evolve.
An oil tank scrappage scheme initially for owners of the most polluting E, F and G rated oil boilers, would help to address the physical barrier to customers switching from heating oil and alleviate customer reluctance due to owned oil assets. An official Government backed scheme would also enable heating engineers and installers to actively promote alternative heating systems to consumers.
To support off-grid rural businesses with clear messaging and fair policies that enable them to fulfil their business operations within the clean growth agenda.
Engage with heating engineers and installers to strengthen clear messaging to consumers. Successful policy implementation will hinge on installers being able to effectively convey alternative heating solutions to distress purchase customers living off-grid currently using high carbon fuels. At present customers are not able to source clear consistent information either from heating engineers or from online sources due to the currently undecided off-grid energy policy direction.
An EPC review to ensure that the future energy objectives are successfully leveraged. In order for off-grid decarbonisation to be achieved, the mechanisms by which improvement standards are driven must be fair and accurate. EPCs currently reflect fuel costs rather than efficiency or carbon content. UKLPG has already received several reports about landlords converting their properties from LPG to oil in order to fulfil the PRS regulation which came into force in April 2018.

UKLPG’s Public Affairs Manager Emily Wilson-Gavin said "The LPG industry is poised to support BEIS with its off-grid decarbonisation objectives with simple low cost solutions that deliver the reduction of carbon and other harmful pollutant emissions immediately. Innovative gas technologies and the deployment of bioLPG, both of which are already on the market, further demonstrate that the industry is committed to a growth strategy which can support the delivery of the 2050 targets"

A full copy of the UKLPG submission can be found here.

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