Steve Keeton, Director of External Affairs and Future Portfolio comments on the release of latest BEIS report on "Decarbonising Heat in Homes" following a call for evidence in 2021

We were delighted to be able to provide evidence to the House of Commons to support a very thorough Seventh report on Decarbonising Heat in Homes. Within the many conclusions and considerations made within the report, we are pleased to see the four key pillars that Vaillant identifies with; the fabric of the building, the system to be installed, the installer, and the consumer.

Welcomed within the report is an ask to Government to interlink policies and strategies, to encourage homeowners to upgrade the building fabric to the correct energy efficiency levels, before a low carbon heating solution is fitted. Once the fabric has been addressed, the next step is to fit the low carbon heating system, here the report asks for a clear roadmap of how the target of 600K heat pumps, to be fitted by 2028, will be met and a plan set out for off-grid properties to adopt electrification methods of heating.

It is vital for consumer awareness to be improved and we mirror the asks of BEIS for Government to establish a national consumer awareness campaign. This will help combat some of the misconceptions of heat pumps and educate consumers on how to decarbonise their own homes successfully.

Finally, installers are fundamental to lower carbon emissions and meet the UK’s net zero target. Without the relevant training programmes to upskill the current gas installer workforce, the 600K heat pumps will not be installed by the target date. Additionally, we need to encourage younger installers into the sector by developing relevant heat pump apprenticeships to strengthen the workforce for the future.