heat

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Renewables share steadily increasing in European heating and cooling

    In this week’s ‘Chart of the Week’, we look at statistics published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU, showing that the share of renewables in heating and cooling is steadily growing.

  • E-mobility and low carbon

    GB energy demand is predicted to rise 123% due to electrification

    It is safe to say that most of Great Britain’s (GB) heat and transport systems are from high emission sources that are incompatible with net zero. Decarbonising how we heat our homes and move from A to B is crucial to meeting our emissions targets. However, the biggest challenge associated...

  • Heat networks

    Australian Chart of the week | Electric feel: can Victoria stay warm without natural gas?

    The Victorian Government is currently consulting with community and industry on the Gas Substitution Roadmap, just one piece of a broader effort to meet emissions targets. It outlines several options for reducing emissions from natural gas, including gradual substitution with biomethane, hydrogen, or electricity. In this ‘Chart of the week’,...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Chart of the week | Increasing electricity balancing costs and an increasing System Operator role

    Last week saw the publication of Ofgem's review of GB energy system operation. This makes recommendations that the roles and functions of the electricity and gas system operators need to change in light of net zero. In this week's 'Chart of the week', I wanted to focus on one aspect...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Chart of the week | Survey reveals public underestimate role of heating in emissions

    In this week's 'Chart of the week', we look at the findings published by BEIS from a survey of the British public on the transition to a low-carbon heating future on 1 September. Transforming Heat – Public Attitudes Research reveals that there is strong public support for carbon reduction policies,...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Ignition: the role of biomethane in low-carbon heat

    On 11 March, Energy and Clean Growth Minister, Kwasi Kwarteng announced that the government aims to issue a Heat and Buildings Strategy later in 2020. This will set out short-term activities that government will take to reduce emissions from existing buildings. The actions will concentrate on energy efficiency measures and...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | UK buildings heat loss amongst worst in Europe

    Net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is a target which increasingly demands policymakers in the UK to address the issue of decarbonising heat. While much attention has been given to low-carbon heat generation through schemes such as the Renewable Heat Incentive, energy efficiency has been left on the sidelines for...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Game of Therms: Winter is Coming

    The 2017 Clean Growth Strategy committed the government to phasing out fossil fuel heating in off gas grid properties by 2030. The Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) has used this pledge as a starting point to propose regulations to bring down carbon emissions from heat. The SEA presented its ideas in...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Pixie Chart of the week | Smart local energy systems favoured by consumers

    On 4 December, Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) – an independent, not-for-profit research centre – issued a press release highlighting response from energy consumers on the ‘Home Truths’ consumer panel. The panel gives businesses bespoke feedback and is available to test business ideas. The survey was designed to facilitate on smart...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Carbon Connect issues third Future Gas Series paper

    A significant proportion of households in the UK currently use natural gas for heat. In a zero carbon emissions environment, this will have to change if low carbon sources of heat are to be adopted. In this week’s Chart of the Week, we examine consumer engagement issues in decarbonisation of the domestic...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | ESC show how heat services benefit consumers

    In August Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) published three insight papers as part of the Smart Systems and Heat Programme. In this week’s Pixie Chart of the week – ­we take a closer look at the three insight papers and discuss some interesting consumer themes.

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Hard-to-decarbonise homes looked at by CCC

    This week, we look at a Committee on Climate Change (CCC) report by Element Energy and University College London published in August. The report assesses solutions to lower the UK’s hard-to-decarbonise housing stock emissions, focussing on reductions from space heating and hot water through heating technology upgrades and energy efficiency...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Key lessons from European heat networks

    As the electricity sector decarbonises, policymakers and advisers are increasingly focusing on the decarbonisation of the heat sector. This has been embodied by multiple consultations on the topic, such as Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming from the Committee on Climate Change. One of the most promising technologies...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Heat network investment – an increasingly hot prospect

    On 6 August, BEIS published the 2019 Q2 Heat Networks Project Pipeline. The summary brings together a range of investment opportunities across projects supported through their development stages by the Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) and projects seeking capital support from the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP). In this week’s Pixie Chart...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Non-domestic RHI average capacity continues to grow

    In this week’s Pixie Chart of the week, we examine the latest data from the Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), published by BEIS. It highlights a continuing decline in the number of installations made under the scheme, but alongside this a continued rise in average capacity. The latest quarter (January to March 2019)...

  • E-mobility and low carbon

    Pixie Chart of the week | CCC: 2030 EV switchover would maximise savings

    In this week’s Pixie Chart of the week, we examine the new emissions target discussed in Net Zero – The UK’s Contribution to Stopping Global Warming published on 2 May by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). The report is a response to a request from the Governments of the UK, Wales and Scotland,...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Hybrid Heat Pumps lead the way for costs in town trial

    In this week's Pixie Chart of the week, we discuss how a recent study by Ramboll, Alternative Heat Solutions Converting A Town to Low Carbon Heating, investigates alternative heat solutions for a typical medium-sized town in the UK – in this case assessing heat demand in Cowdenbeath, Scotland. This study highlights the relative...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Domestic renewable heat knowledge gap revealed by BEIS

    In this week's Pixie Chart of the Week we discuss how this month, BEIS released its Public Attitudes Tracker survey for December 2018. The report outlined the public’s attitudes in respect of BEIS policies on energy, climate change and workers’ rights, and has been running since March 2012.

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | RHI tariff degression for large biomass and biomethane

    On 1 January 2019, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) announced that it would reduce the tariff price level (through a process called degression) for large biogas and biomethane installations on its non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme. The Non-domestic RHI opened on 28 November 2011 as...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the Week | Technological driven cost reductions for heat networks

    The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has unveiled its latest report, District Heat Networks in the UK, outlining favourable business cases for reducing the costs of potential heat networks in the UK. The ETI identified 96 innovative solutions that could cut the capital costs of heat networks. These were narrowed down to...

  • Heat networks

    Chart of the week | Hybrid hydrogen heating hopes

    In a recent Chart of the week, we discussed developments on blending hydrogen with gas supplies as a means to help lower carbon emissions associated with heating. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) issued its Hydrogen in a Low-Carbon Economy report on 22 November, which set out the latest thinking on the...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Hydrogen blending to initiate domestic decarbonisation

    In its latest paper, Fuelling the Future, Policy Exchange has drawn together evidence for hydrogen’s place in the UK. It outlines two high-level issues that have halted industry and the government’s willingness to engage in its application to date. In this week's Pixie Chart of the week, we examine these two issues....

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | UK householders’ huge energy efficiency potential

    The Remaining Potential for Energy Savings in UK Households, by Rosenow, Gurtler, Sorrell and Eyre was published in the October edition of Energy Policy. It highlights the huge untapped potential for energy efficiency installations within the UK housing stock. We covered this in the latest issue of Energy:2030 published last week....