@derek-m, wow, those are not numbers that install me with any confidence given the drive towards electrification. 

Hi @editor 

Not that much better today, at the present time 63.3% of electricity is being produced from Fossil Fuels, including Coal, 24.1% is mainly from Nuclear and Biomass, 7.4% from interconnectors and 5.2% from Renewables.

Hi @editor 

I watched the David Attenborough documentary last night entitled 'A Life on our Planet'. I would highly recommend that you see what we humans are doing to our planet.

We'd like to wish everyone on Renewable Heating Hub a safe and prosperous 2022.

To start the new year, we have an interview with Phil Hurley, Chairman of the Heat Pump Association, who speaks to us about the challenges and opportunities in 2022. Enjoy. 

For those of that prefer podcasts over videos, you can listen to all our interviews on your favourite streaming platform or from here:

RENEWABLEHEATINGHUB.CO.UK "https://renewableheatinghub.co.uk/podcast"

Episode | Renewable Heating Hub

We sat down and chatted to Aimee Clarke and Mubeen Hafeji from Octopus Energy to find out how they’re going to try and install air source heat pumps in the UK for £5,000.

@editor interesting to hear Octopus attempting to hit the £5k mark. Good idea I think. The ongoing support after installation and the control of the heat pump to align with energy prices (however they do it) could be a real game changer. 

My rambling thoughts, nothing specific. 

The government have committed to fund 30,000 installs a year with the £5k grant for 3 years so it is currently a limited time period and a limited number of installs, 90,000 in total. 

It will be interesting to see how the government responds if the demand ramps up quickly any time over the next 3 years given the 1.7m annual gas boiler replacements mentioned in the interview. I don't know what the latest annual figures are for the RHI scheme but the industry don't need to covert many gas boiler replacements to hit the grant limit over and above what RHI scheme was already hitting. 

There is a danger that the majority of the 5k grants will get taken up disproportionately by  relatively well off people rather than those closer to poverty. I wonder if Octopus have given any thought to this, albeit obviously they are a commercial organisation and won't be turning away customers. The short lived Green home grant gave 5k for everyone and 10k for those on some benefits, but this new grant isn't targeted at all as with the RHI. 

With EVs, this governments support has reduced quite quickly as prices have fallen, both the reduction in the EV grant and now the upcoming removal of the grant for installation of a charge point for many properties. I don't expect anything like the 5k level of non means tested grants in 3 years time for heat pumps. 

We have scheduled an interview with a Senior Policy Adviser at Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) next week where we’re going talk about the electrification of heating. Naturally, we have a lot questions, but if you have any questions you’d like answered please pop them or send me a PM and we’d be happy to ask them.

@editor It would be interesting to know if they have a target date for changing the EPC algorithm so it doesn't disadvantage heat pumps reletive to conventional boilers. Also, do they have any thoughts about reducung the price differential between electricity and gas (at whatever absolute price) so that heat pump running costs have a better chance of matching those of gas boilers?

I help an aged relative, living alone, to keep on top of their domestic maintenance and paperwork. Saw their dual energy utility bill which was roughly the same as mine yet they use  about 28,000kWh annually against my 11,500kWh. They keep their home ridiculously warm but it's mostly gas.

There was a government announcement about a call for evidence (18th October 2021). But as far as i am aware the call for evidence has yet to be published. Do they know when it will be published and are the decisions still due in 2022?

"To ensure electric heat pumps will be no more expensive to run than gas boilers, ministers want to reduce the price of electricity over the next decade by shifting levies away from electricity to gas. A call for evidence is expected to be published with decisions made in 2022."

GOV.UK "https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plan-to-drive-down-the-cost-of-clean-heat"

Plan to drive down the cost of clean heat - GOV.UK

Plans to incentivise people to install low-carbon heating systems in a simple, fair and cheap way as they replace their old boilers over the coming decade.

@mike-patrick, thank you. I've jotted the questions down and will include them in our interview.

We sat down with Martin Cooke to discuss whether modulating boilers can play a role in cutting home heating carbon emissions especially when used in conjunction with a biofuel like HVO:

RENEWABLEHEATINGHUB.CO.UK "https://renewableheatinghub.co.uk/can-oil-boilers-play-a-role-in-reducing-carbon-emissions"

Modulating Boilers & HVO Fuel Benefits | Renewable Heating Hub

Renewable heating solutions: Discover how EOGB’s modulating boiler cuts carbon with HVO biofuel.