The UK Government has announced the suspension of plans for a hydrogen town trial until after 2026, signalling a need for strategic considerations regarding hydrogen’s contribution to decarbonising heat.
David Cowdrey, Director of External Affairs at the MCS Foundation, expressed support for the decision, affirming that heat pumps and low carbon heat networks represent the most viable solutions for scaling up heating decarbonization efforts
David Cowdrey said: “Heat pump installations in the UK have been growing in the last few years, but we need long term policy certainty to ramp up the market.
“Today’s announcement should be followed with a commitment to a massive public awareness campaign to increase heat pump uptake. The government must also take levies off electricity prices so that heat pumps are always cheaper to run than gas boilers, which would address fuel poverty while helping meet climate targets.”
Jess Ralston, Head of Energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, characterised the decision as a significant signal regarding the role of hydrogen heating, suggesting it may have a minimal impact going forward.
Jess Ralston said: “This paves the way for more investment into electric heat pumps, which boost energy security by lowering the amount of gas we need, which will increasingly come from abroad as the North Sea continues its decline, we need to heat our homes.
“The US and Europe are already installing heat pumps in their millions in response to the gas crisis that has already cost the UK over £100 billion, and it looks like we might be starting to catch up.”
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